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Visitors to the Grand Canyon State are driving tourism to record levels and helping the industry rebound from the far-reaching effects of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

That was the message this week during the 26th annual Arizona Governor's Conference on Tourism, held at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, 7000 N. Resort Drive.

Increased marketing efforts, including campaigns in "cold weather" cities such as Chicago and New York, and new programs geared to Generation X travelers, helped attract more people to the state, Margie A. Emmermann, director of the Arizona Office of Tourism, told conference attendees Tuesday.

Arizona's natural ability to attract winter visitors from colder climates also helped, said Dean Runyan of Dean Runyan Associates, a Portland, Ore., tourism-market research and planning firm.

"Over time we're seeing that Arizona has a competitive advantage over other areas," he said.

And the future looks even brighter, largely due to planned sporting events, Emmermann said.

NASCAR races and the 2008 Super Bowl, scheduled in the Arizona Cardinals' new stadium in Glendale, should draw visitors to the Phoenix area. And Tucson will play host for the first time next February to the Accenture World Match Play Championship, which will bring the world's top 64 golfers to town.

"Those events are the perfect conduit to attract people to the state," Emmermann said.

More than 500 tourism leaders came to Tucson for the three-day conference, sponsored by the Arizona Office of Tourism, the Arizona Tourism Alliance, the Arizona Hotel & Lodging Association and the Arizona Restaurant & Hospitality Association.

With numbers getting stronger each year since 2002, the mood at the conference was upbeat.

"Arizona is no longer in a recovery period. We're well beyond recovery," Emmermann told the crowd.

Much of the nation's tourism industry suffered after the terrorist attacks, Gov. Janet Napolitano said during Tuesday's luncheon. Now, she said, "tourism is alive, well and robust in … Arizona."