P U L L GA Tourism This means that our strategic tourism partners include hotels, restaurants, retail businesses, auto shops, grocery stores, he COVID-19 crisis has impact- coffee shops and more. Tourism has a ed our families, friends, all levdirect and indirect impact on businesses els of business, jobs, the econthroughout our community, and the advent omy, and has left an indelible of COVID-19 has hurt not only our hotels mark on our community. As time (and thus, lodger’s tax revenues), but any has passed, Americans are no longer asking businesses that served the greater travel the question, “When will things return to community along the I-40 corridor. Our honormal?” But now, “What is normal?” as tel occupancy very low and the loss of those the effects of the pandemic continue to harm valuable dollars spent by guests to the comour community. COVID-19 hasn’t killed munity is felt in just about every business the tourism sector, but it has tried. The U.S. sector in Gallup. Travel Association reports that: “Since the Our community is facing challenges unbeginning of March, the COVID-19 panlike any we’ve faced before. We have to demic has resulted in $297 billion in losses 1 recover from not only the pandemic itself, for the U.S. TravelEconomy.” but the reputation of being a COVID-19 Locally, we have feltthe same losses that hot spot, complete with a lockdown and the are happening on a national scale. The Gal- highest infection rate in New Mexico. The lup Real True tourism and marketing office City Tourism and Marketing Department markets Gallup as a great destination for worked closely with the City Management outdoor adventures, art lovers, and culture at the beginning of the pandemic to establish seekers for 365-days-a-year, not just a place not only local communication lines, but to to visit for our signature events (though centralize our national media talking points. those are important and we hope can reWhile we can’t change that we have been bound in the future). By Jennifer Lazarz
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a hot spot, national news anchors complimented our mayor for his concerned responsiveness to the COVID-19 situation because it was unmatched by any area in the US. We have been praised on MSNBC’s Brian Williams show by the mayor of Boston for leading the way in terms of safety and concern for our residents and neighboring communities. These national media sound bites might be small, but they matter in the big picture. The news isn’t all negative. The City of Gallup has been featured in the platform RediscoverAmerica.com. We were named one of “5 U.S. Towns you’ve Probably Never Heard of, but Should Visit” last month on TravelNoire.com. Edible Magazine did a multi-page spread about restaurants and the food culture of Gallup in their Spring 2020 issue. Group Tour Magazine featured an itinerary page entirely about Gallup in their September 2020 issue. These are just a few highlights of positive coverage for our community that have come out during the pandemic. (You can find all of these articles and more at https://galluprealtrue.com/the-real-gallup/gallup-in-the-news).
