N.C. Tourism Trade Dropping Billions Throughout Pandemic

SALUDA, NC – North Carolina is the sixth most visited state in the country according to Visit North Carolina. The tourism industry generates more than $ 26 billion each year, but a decline in travel due to the pandemic made 2020 a difficult year.

What you need to know

• NC tourism generates $ 26 billion annually
• The state tourism industry lost $ 10 billion in 2020
• The tourism industry employs 500,000 people

Gorge Canopy Zipline Tour has seen firsthand the changes resulting from the pandemic. The tour is a popular destination for visitors to western North Carolina. It’s open year round and offers more than a dozen tours per day with about 10 zipliners per tour.

In 2020, however, the pandemic was a few months off the company’s schedule.

“We were closed for two months. We took the time to think about our operations and see what we needed to change. On May 23, we reopened and implemented smaller tour sizes, ”says tour guide Rachel Kish.

Before COVID-19, around 150 people took the course every day. Now that number has been halved. It’s a scenario seen across the state when tourist numbers fell and, consequently, tourism dollars as well.

“We’ve had natural disasters that affected us, but never anything that affected the entire state and the entire industry at the same time,” said Wit Tuttell, director of Visit North Carolina.

Visit North Carolina estimates the state’s tourism industry lost more than $ 10 billion in 2020.

“Our biggest impact has been business travel. Business trips stopped, meetings and conventions, and sporting events that are big draws, “he says.

Outdoor leisure companies like The Gorge have done a little better as more people have found other ways to spend their time during the pandemic. But for the tourism industry to recover, not only are tourists needed, but also North Carolinians exploring their own state.

“I think there are currently around 100,000 tourism workers out of work and we want to bring them back,” says Tuttell.

The state’s tourism industry employs around 500,000 people. However, if the industry continues to see the impact of the pandemic this year, the state could see an increase in unemployment for workers in the industry.