MARIETTA, OH – Tourism took a monster hit everywhere last year when the reality of a global pandemic really set in. “It was pretty tough,” said Deana Clark a stop. “Clark is the executive director of the Marietta / Washington County Convention and Visitor Bureau (or CVB). In their 2020 annual report, they reported a loss of $ 75,000.

Live in Marietta? Click here to login to our free breaking news notifications sent to your inbox and mobile devices. Follow Marietta Patch on Facebook and Twitterand download our free patch app for mobile devices at Android or iPhone.

She says the tourism industry has lost more jobs than any other industry thanks to Covid-19. “When I say tourism, I’m talking about hotels, restaurants, shops. These companies have been hardest hit.” Clark says her department saw this coming and did their best to prepare. “Nobody knew how bad this thing was going to be. We were hoping it could get better by June.”

So the CVB closed the hatches and cut the costs that they could. “By March we had already made most of our ad purchases. So we had already placed an ad in Ohio Magazine and paid for Youtube.”

Clark said that because a big flood could always be just around the corner, Marietta has emergency funds ready. She says this has put Marietta tourism in a much better position than many tourism boards. “We were forced to use part of our emergency funds.” While many Ohio tourism directors have been fired, Clark has not. “Lots of people lost all of their employees, I had to take two vacations,” but Clark says their board of directors said they wanted them and the rest of their employees to work and prepare for a big 2021. “We scored like everyone else,” said Clark. “We lost a few restaurants and shops across the county, which is unfortunate.”

Clark wanted to personally thank the residents of Marietta and Washington Counties. “She said that while this hasn’t been the case for every single company, there have certainly been success stories.” I couldn’t have been happier with the way people here are helping the local business. Some people even bought gift cards to use later. “

Clark says they were predictably under budget last year but move into 2021 hopefully. “I’m looking forward to the roaring 20s,” she says, saying that the roaring 20s were no accident. “Things will get better just like they did after the Spanish flu.” Six months ago only 30% of people were planning a vacation, now that number is closer to 80%.

Clark says they will update existing Marietta tourism guides and create new ones. These include maps for downtown, shopping, dining, outdoor driving, scenic driving, and public art guides. She says the priority is getting existing events up and running. “Between 2020 and 2021, in such a shift, I don’t think anyone will start any new festivals. We’re working on getting the People’s Bank Theater up and running. They’re in 25% now, but that’s not enough for them to get the big ones Bring groups back. “

She also hopes this year’s Sternwheel Festival will be a big one. “I have a feeling, and I’m not the only one, that June will be our comeback month.

Do you have a news tip or suggestion how I can improve Marietta Patch? Perhaps you would like to make your company one of our newest sponsors? Email all inquiries to christopher.schmitt@patch.com

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR