NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WKRN) – Tennessee has lost nearly half a billion dollars in travel expenses since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Travel expenses fell by $ 341 million between January and August last year, according to the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. This translates into a total loss of $ 492 million for 2020.
Tourism development commissioner Mark Ezell said hotel accommodations, as well as food and drink, were number one and two in lost revenue nationwide, with a $ 300 million deficit during the pandemic.
(Courtesy TN Department of Tourism Development)
Ezell stated that the introduction of vaccines will play an important role in improving it. According to researchers at Destination Analysts, more than 57 percent of Americans said widespread use of an effective vaccine is a prerequisite for returning to normal.
“We know that people plan travel, prepare for summer and fall when the vaccine allows people to travel on a large scale again on a large scale,” Ezell said, adding that Nashville is usually about half that Hotel revenue accounts for the state and is now about a quarter of that. “Bad news, some sections [of the state] I need to have a vaccine distribution and some things for them to recover, especially with this business, convention trips, this entertainer. The good news is Nashville, and places like Nashville, Memphis, and others are ready. ”
Ezell said people in Tennessee averaged between 100 and 500 in the most recent quarter, suggesting travel increased.
The Safe Travel For The Love Of Tennessee campaign encouraged people to get off safely, and Ezell said the state had made progress in a number of sectors.
“The outdoor activities for Tennessee and our great natural resources were really a key to our December sales tax revenue actually increasing over a year ago. What we’re seeing is that there are some regions in Tennessee that continue to thrive and thrive because of their outdoor activities and their adaptability, ”Ezell explained. “What Gatlinburg did, what Sevier County did, really East TN with Great Smokey Mountain National Park, but then our state parks had record camping in October and record participants in November, so we saw it nationwide.”
He said online retailers and those in the building technology industry also saw their bottom line growth during the pandemic.
“Almost every retail store has offered the option to have a pickup area or delivery service that consumers have added and they want a different way of making these products safer for them. Said Ezell. “So we’ve seen that the Tennessee business community reacts really well when they offer these additional options.”
He said their goals continue to ensure that businesses open, operate, and do so within the guidelines of the Tennessee Pledge.
