Memorial Day weekend travelers are expected to pack roads and airports at or above pre-pandemic levels this year, with experts saying that an estimated 42.3 million Americans - and about 887,000 from Arizona - are likely to travel, a 4% increase over last year’s numbers. Read more»

Oro Valley is stepping up enforcement of a new ordinance that requires the owners of short-term rental properties to register with town, county and state officials. Only 113 of about 400-500 AirBnB/VRBO landlords have complied, officials said. Read more»

Gas prices in Arizona have been steadily growing since last March, with a 62.5-cent increase on average for a gallon of regular over the last month, according to AAA. And, as motorists head into summer, prices are likely to keep creeping up. Read more»

La nueva campaña publicitaria en español de Vamos a Tucson dirigida a los turistas hispanos está marcando al Viejo Pueblo como el destino para ellos al destacar el patrimonio de la ciudad y los eventos multiculturales. Read more»

Visit Tucson's new Spanish-language advertising campaign aimed at Hispanic tourists is branding the Old Pueblo as the destination for them by spotlighting the city’s heritage and multicultural events. Read more»

The National Junior College Athletic Association has selected Tucson and Pima Community College to be the hosts of two upcoming national tournaments. Read more»

Property owners in Oro Valley pocketing extra cash by renting to short-term customers and vacationers may face new – but limited – restrictions. Plus more in local government meetings this week. Read more»

Several major corporations are promising to pay travel expenses for employees who must leave their home states to receive a legal abortion, but these promises to invest in employee access to reproductive health care are fraught with risk, including potential retaliation by state officials. Read more»

President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday aiming to protect people crossing state lines to get an abortion, the second presidential order Biden’s made regarding abortion access since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Read more»

National parks in Arizona welcomed 10.7 million visitors who pumped $1.12 billion into local economies in 2021, both sharp increases from the pandemic-induced lows of the year before, according to the National Park Service. Read more»

Higher prices for gas, airfares and just about everything else do not appear to be holding back travel this Memorial Day weekend, which is “falling back to pre-pandemic levels,” and is expected to increase by 8.3% nationwide from the last Memorial Day holiday. Read more»

About 45% of Americans surveyed in April said it’s too early to end the mask mandate on federal transportation, and with the current increase in COVID-19 cases, healthy people are masking up to help those that are more susceptible to catching the virus. Read more»

The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in favor of using $1 million in federal COVID relief funding to promote tourism. Two grants awarded to Visit Tucson and Tucson City of Gastronomy will help advertise the local UNESCO designation. Read more»

Reimbursements for at-home rapid COVID-19 tests, tougher testing requirements for international travelers and more emergency response teams to aid states combating infection spikes are the latest steps to fight COVID-19 that President Joe Biden will be announcing Thursday. Read more»

Days after the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus led parts of the world, including the United States, to close their borders to South Africa and neighboring countries, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke to the public Monday in defense of the emerging travel restrictions. Read more»