See how your state has been affected
Travel is more than just a chance to get a change of scenery and take a break from everyday life.
At the macro level, it’s a critical economic driver, especially for destinations that depend on tourism. Travelers in 2019 spent $1.1 trillion in the U.S., generating some $2.6 trillion in economic output, according to the U.S.
Travel Association. The organization estimates that each American household would shell out almost $1,400 more in taxes if the country lacked the tax revenue that comes from travel and tourism.
Americans took 1.9 billion trips for leisure in 2019. But in 2020, that number could look very different.
COVID-19 has had a huge impact on tourism across the country. Thousands of flights have been canceled by U.S.-based airlines.
Tourist attractions, like Disney World, Broadway shows, The Alamo, the Statue of Liberty, Smithsonian museums and the Santa Monica Pier, have closed — sometimes with no scheduled reopening date.
And even if there were places to visit safely, Americans may not have the financial means to travel after the financial blow they’ve taken from the economic downturn caused by the pandemic.
Some states are being hit harder than others by COVID-19’s impact on tourism.
Stacker used WalletHub’s “States Hit Hardest by COVID-19’s Impact on Tourism” study, published on April 14, 2020, to compile a list of the states most affected by the lack of travel and tourism due to COVID-19.
The states are ranked by their total WalletHub score, which evaluated the states based on 10 different metrics across two categories: dependency on travel and the tourism industry and aggressiveness against coronavirus.
Arkansas’ main tourism destination, the city of Hot Springs, is projecting huge losses as a result of the coronavirus. Three of the city’s best-known tourist attractions — the World's Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Bathhouse Row and Oaklawn Racing — were shut down in March.
Tourism is responsible for $9 billion of Iowa’s economy.
With stay-at-home orders in place, some areas of the state saw major losses in revenue.
The town of Ames, for example, as of April 29 had lost around $2.8 million in its hospitality market since the pandemic started.
Travelers usually spend about $1 billion per year in Tulsa, Oklahoma, each year.
With tourism at a standstill during the COVID-19 outbreak, the state set its hopes on a turnaround in 2021.
The Tulsa Regional Tourism organization by early May had already begun to fill its 2021 calendar, with events like a national bass fishing contest to draw visitors.
Many more