Last year, the travel industry plummeted as the world struggled with the onset of a global pandemic, one that battered the economy and prompted uncertainty for businesses reliant on tourism dollars.
But with state parks, zoos, museums and other venues modifying COVID-19 safety restrictions and Gov. Mike DeWine announcing the ending of state health orders on June 2, there s a rising sense of optimism for national and state travel.
Based on research fielded by Longwoods International on April 28, a Columbus-based market research consultancy that specializes in travel and tourism, found that 86% of American travelers plan to take a trip within the next six months.
US, Ohio hotel industries bleed jobs as pandemic continues
By Thomas Gnau - Dayton Daily News, Ohio (TNS)
Organizations advocating for Ohio’s travel industry issued a dire warning Friday, saying more than a third of all Ohio jobs lost last year were in the travel and hospitality industry and the bleeding of jobs continues.
In December, 80% of job losses reported by Ohio government were from the travel and hospitality industry, the Ohio Travel Association said.
Said Melinda Huntley, Ohio Travel Association executive director: “This industry experienced a devastating 22% unemployment rate in 2020. The unemployment rate in this industry is higher than any other industry in Ohio.”
Travel spending in Ohio fell by 40% last year, and the hard-hit industry is still reeling
Michelle Jarboe/Crain s Cleveland Business
The newly transformed Hotel Indigo Cleveland Downtown faced a quiet Huron Road late last month, with little activity at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in the background. The state s travel and lodging industry has been particularly hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic and public health restrictions meant to slow the spread of the virus.
Tourism spending in Ohio plunged by 40% last year as the coronavirus pandemic curtailed corporate travel, prompted business shutdowns and severely dampened leisure activity.
The Ohio Travel Association reported Friday, Feb. 12, that industrywide revenues fell $12.8 billion last year, when compared with their 2019 levels. The sharp falloff in travel, combined with public health restrictions meant to slow the spread of the virus, spurred a $378 million decline in annual state tax revenues, according to Tourism Economics, a