GRAND CANYON WEST – For the third consecutive year, attendance at Grand Canyon West has topped 1 million visitors to the full range of tourism experiences owned and operated by the Hualapai Tribe, including Grand Canyon Skywalk, the Hualapai Lodge and the Hualapai River Runners whitewater rafting and pontoon tours.
On Wednesday Dec. 20, Grand Canyon West recorded its 1 millionth visitor for the year. The lucky guests – Abbi Reynolds and Caitlin Wiggins, both from Apex, North Carolina – were treated to a free tour of the world-famous Grand Canyon Skywalk, a helicopter adventure along the West Rim and a pontoon boat adventure along the Colorado River courtesy of Hualapai River Runners.
“This was an amazing year for Grand Canyon West, as we continue to evolve what we have to offer more than 1 million guests from all over the world,” said Candida Hunter, chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Grand Canyon Resort Corporation, which owns and operates GCW on behalf of the Hualapai people. “We celebrated the tenth anniversary of Skywalk and we opened Sa’ Nyu Wah, the only four-star restaurant in the world with a Grand Canyon view. To do all that and to again go over the 1 million mark for visitors is quite an accomplishment.”
Grand Canyon West first exceeded the 1 million mark in attendance in 2015, said CEO Brian Siegel. Expectation are high for 2018, he said, in large part because of a new addition to the tourism offerings expected to open right after the New Year – the Zipline at Grand Canyon West, a pair of four-person ziplines that will allow guests to soar nearly 1,000 feet above the floor of a nearby side canyon.
Said Siegel: “2017 was a great year for us, and next year looks like it could be even bigger. When the Zipline at Grand Canyon West opens, we think that will take the adrenalin surges available for our visitors to a whole new level. I can’t wait, and I know our team is equally excited.”
