ELKHART COUNTY TOURISM IMPORTANT TO LOCAL, STATE ECONOMIC RECOVERY
From attractions to restaurants to arts and cultural institutions, Elkhart County’s tourism and hospitality businesses stepped up in a big way in the 2020 despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism and hospitality businesses are uniquely poised to support our communities’ recovery, both economically and socially, in 2021. The Elkhart County Convention & Visitors Bureau (ECCVB) and our fellow members of the Indiana Tourism Association are calling on state, county and local officials to invest in tourism. “Theater and concert venues, attractions, parks, lodging, and restaurants are the foundation of what makes Elkhart County a special place to live, work and visit. These quality-of-place assets have rallied as best they can amid a difficult 2020 and we will need them ever more as we emerge into a hopeful 2021,” said Jon Hunsberger, executive director of the ECCVB. Elkhart County receives $550 million or more annually in economic impact from tourism and hospitality, the bulk of it from money spent by visitors at stores, attractions, hotels and campgrounds, arts and cultural venues, and restaurants. More than 6,000 local jobs are supported by Elkhart County tourism and hospitality. While those numbers sadly dipped in 2020, as it did in most of the world, tourism and hospitality are significant contributors to economic vitality. According to Rockport Analytics/Tourism Economics, Indiana tourism still generated more than $6million for Hoosier communities. inMiddlebury Magazine | FEBRUARY 2021 15
