Strong allure: The region hasn’t lost its tourism appeal, although it continues to deal with challenges

Strong allure:

The region hasn’t lost its tourism appeal, although it continues to deal with challenges

The story of modern Raleigh-Durham has been one of hope and progress across all sectors of the economy. As the city’s star rose, so did its profile as a destination for tourists from across the country and the world. As tourists were drawn by the area’s natural beauty, worldclass sports and cultural institutions, and with a vibrant business tourism economy, Raleigh-Durham worked to develop its infrastructure to keep up with the demand,

Then came COVID-19. The bottom fell out from beneath the industry. Now, as it picks up the pieces, the Raleigh-Durham tourism industry is not only fortifying itself for the future, it is also remaking itself according to the exigencies of the present.

Landscape Some industries were relatively unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic and some others were even able to thrive. But there were some that were completely decimated. Tourism falls under this last category. In Raleigh-Durham — as in the the rest of the world — people weren’t traveling, going on business trips or staying in hotel rooms; families weren’t taking their summer vacations; large events were canceled, whether it be a night at the opera, a football game or a robotics conference; and restaurants were operating at a significantly reduced capacity while struggling to keep up with their overhead.

The numbers released by the Visit Raleigh tourism board are staggering: due to the nearly 300 canceled meetings, conventions and sports events in Wake County alone, there was a loss of nearly 370,000 tourists who would have brought $145 million in revenue. Compared to 2019, this represented a 25% decrease in sales tax revenue from area restaurants, a 52% decrease in hotel lodging tax revenue and a nearly 50% decrease in hotel occupancy rates.

In total, tourism tax collections were down by about $21 million. All together, over 28,000 Wake County hospitality jobs, with a payroll of $836 million, were put into jeopardy by the pandemic. Across the state, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the North Carolina hotel industry lost 22,787 hotelrelated jobs and 88,225 indirect jobs.

To put these numbers in perspective, the decline in 2020 came after a record year in 2019 when the region drew nearly 18 million visitors who spent almost $3 billion in the local economy, a number that translates to $284 million in state and local revenue. Indeed,( )