Convention industry rebounding after King vote. (passage of Martin Luther King holiday in Arizona) (Focus on Business Travel) (Industry Overview)

More than 20 percent of the groups that canceled meetings after the 1990 defeat of a paid state holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. have rebooked Phoenix as a destination since the measure passed last November, tourism officials say.

The Phoenix & Valley of the Sun Convention & Visitors Bureau reports that, because of the controversy over the King holiday, the Valley lost roughly 170 conventions with about 165,000 attendees that would have brought an economic impact of more than $195 million.

About 20 percent of that business has been rebooked, says David Radcliffe, president and CEO of the bureau.

The would result in an economic impact to the Valley of …