Richmond Tourism has scored multiple hits since the pandemic broke out.

It didn’t look good due to event cancellations, downsizing, and an extreme drop in sales.

For the tourism department, however, things are starting to improve as more travel takes place and the newfound opportunity to qualify for PPP loans.

“In the first few months of the pandemic, we saw sales cut 75%,” said Lori Murphy, Richmond’s director of tourism. “From July 2020, we saw a 50% drop in sales. As of last month, we’ve seen the first signs of improvement. The vaccine is helping to build traveler confidence.”

Murphy said her office was not eligible to apply for funding in the early years of the pandemic, but worked with Congressman Andy Barr (KY-06) to change that.

“We’ve been keeping a close eye and new laws,” she said. “It was very touching to decide until the last minute whether or not tourism offices would qualify for the second round. Congressman Barr worked closely with tourism organizations across Kentucky to fight for us to have the opportunity.”

It seems he is grateful for contributing.

“Target marketing organizations like Richmond Tourism are an important part of our community. In Congress, I led efforts to extend the paycheck protection program’s eligibility to these types of organizations. I will continue to work to bring economic relief to the pandemic-hit industries like tourism and hospitality, “Barr told The Register.

That year, Richmond Tourism received just over $ 24,000 in federal funding to hire part-time workers as the situation picks up again.

Currently the department only has two full-time employees and has not worked with part-time employees.

“It can be difficult to do all of your tasks with just two people,” Murphy admitted. “Our office is financed exclusively through temporary taxes. With this loan we can not only pay for ourselves, but also defer the urgently needed part-time jobs.”

The part-time positions are filled by interns from Eastern Kentucky University, with whom the tourism division has had a relationship for 20 years.

“We have EKU students on our team almost every semester. These students are such a bright light. They know the top trends in social media marketing. With a small staff, these students help us to work more efficiently. Over the past five years For years, these students have been essential to keeping the office open and enabling us to make the most of their marketing skills in Richmond, “said Murphy.

She hopes to have cooperative students and another part-time worker back this summer once the funds are distributed.

“We’d like to personally thank Congressman Barr for his dedication to making this a reality. Both he and his staff really saw the challenges we were facing and didn’t stop until there was a solution,” said Murphy.