"That's a 'silent boycott' that's hard to measure."
/Thomas Dunne says there's early evidence of Arizona's new law targeting illegal immigration impacting the state's golf tourism business.
Early evidence indicates the controversy has had an effect. "We've had the cancellation of 23 trips," said Kristen Jarnagin, VP of communications for the Arizona Hotel and Lodging Association, "with an economic impact of between $6 million and $10 million to our state." But Jarnagin questions whether such sanctions can be turned on and off.
"Of the groups we've seen cancel, the losses occur as early as this summer and as far out as 2013," she said. "Meetings book years in advance. What we'll never know is how many groups are planning meetings right now and aren't even considering Arizona. That's a 'silent boycott' that's hard to measure."