By the end of this year, visitors from China will overtake Europeans in numbers of tourists to Arizona. It’s a first for the state.

Mexico and Canada continue to send the most visitors to Arizona every year. But, this is the first year that visitors from China are coming to Arizona in higher numbers than visitors from Europe, according to Stephanie Dowling with the Arizona Office of Tourism.

“The Chinese market is very resilient and they aren’t as reactive to currency issues," Dowling said. "The country is doing very well from an economic standpoint, so their middle class is growing very, very quickly.”

Dowling said parts of northern Arizona have always attracted high numbers of Chinese tourists.

The difference now, she said, is that visitors from China can afford to visit longer and spend more across locations throughout the state.

Dowling said other states are also experiencing increasing numbers of Chinese tourists.