Kentucky’s tourism business anticipated to endure as much as $Three billion loss from pandemic

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKYT) – An economic development and tourism subcommittee met Wednesday morning to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the state’s tourism industry.

Officials from tourism and parks, as well as local officials from across the Commonwealth, painted a picture that we all saw coming, many losses due to the pandemic in these areas, but there is also optimism for the future.

Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, Arts and Heritage, Mike Berry, and Commissioner for Parks, Russ Meyer, described to the subcommittee the toll the pandemic was taking on the tourism, travel and hospitality industries.

Secretary of State Berry said industries like hotels and motels took a huge blow during the pandemic, especially at the beginning when the industry seemed to stall overnight.

However, other parts of the state saw tremendous growth, mostly outdoor activities and state parks.

“Our campsites and other state park activities, golf courses, and so on have hit record highs,” said Berry.

Even so, issues like state park accommodation have taken a hit as venues seek to cope with a sharp decline in the number of businesses and groups booking group outings and conventions at venues across the state.

Officials say the state will suffer an estimated $ 2-3 billion in lost revenue from tourism due to the pandemic.

Amid all this bad news, however, Minister Berry says the data also shows that Kentucky could jump forward in the coming months.

“People consider Kentucky a safe travel destination. This is important when we start reopening, ”said Berry. “The recovery is already evident, we are just not back in 2019, which was probably, if not, one of the best years of travel and tourism in the Commonwealth.”

Officials hope that tourism and hospitality will continue to rebound strongly with the upturn and additional investment.

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