What a difference a year makes for the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Columbia.
The pandemic was in its early stages last March when Boone County officials enacted a stay-at-home order March 24, 2020.
Occupancy levels for Columbia hotels dropped to 39% that month as travel throughout mid-Missouri and the nation slowed amid coronavirus concerns. Those numbers rose back to 53% last month, nearing pre-pandemic levels, according to bureau spokeswoman Megan McConachie.
“This is definitely a huge improvement over this time last year,” McConachie said. “Just people being able to gather again. There’s been a lot of pent-up travel demand, when people were in lockdown or in quarantine.”