Timing Worsens Hit to Tourism

The executive director of the Nebraska Tourism Commission says the timing of the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the impact on the state’s multi-billion dollar tourism industry.

Ask John Ricks about the effect of the pandemic on tourism, and he’s got a quick answer.

“I think one word kind of sums it up: it’s devastating,” Ricks said.

And Ricks, who helps lead the state’s tourism efforts, said the timing couldn’t be worse for the industry.

“This time of year is leading right into our ‘harvest season’ if you will -- our spring/summer season, and this is the high season,” he said.

Closed restaurants, cancelled events, and nearly empty hotels have taken their toll. Ricks doesn’t have hard figures, but says anecdotally, hotels that are usually 60 percent or more full are down to 18 or 20 percent occupancy.

However, he said, the industry is resilient.

“I’ve been in the business a long time and I can remember back to 9-11, and the SARS situation in the early 2000s, and then the economic downturn in 2008-2009, and the industry does come back fast,” he said.

Ricks says the stage is set for a comeback, but for now, people are still holding back.

“People want to travel – there’s a lot of pent up demand. But we’re also seeing that people are uncertain just because they don’t know where this pandemic thing is going. So their personal health and welfare, and the personal health and welfare of their friends and family are taking priority,” he said.

And while he plans to go to a restaurant soon, and tip heavily, Ricks says people shouldn’t rush out just to satisfy their impatience.

“People have to have that patience. They have to stay home. Social distancing is really, really important,” he said.

Ricks says tourism is Nebraska’s third largest industry, employing 40,000 people, and bringing in more than $3 billion a year.

“It’s a really, really important industry. It’s huge economic driver. And right now it’s being missed. But we’ll come back,” he said.

Ricks says he’s looking forward the Nebraska Passport program, which encourages travel in families and small groups to tourist attractions around the state to collect stamps and prizes.

The program was originally scheduled to begin May 1; that starting date has now been pushed back to June 1.