The Arizona Tourism Industry Has Lost Billions During The Pandemic
The Arizona Tourism industry has been hit hard by the pandemic.
Even as weather begins to cool in the state, group travel, conventions and other traditional tourism activities are more or less at a standstill.
Kim Sabow is president and CEO of the Arizona Lodging and Tourism Association. She says the pandemic has caused the state’s industry to lose 50% of its tourism-related jobs.
“In the first six months of 2020, Arizona, Arizona alone has lost already $7 billion in direct visitor spending” Sabow said.
Sabow has confidence that the industry can bounce back considering its past resilience but adds that a swift economic and job recovery plan is needed to get the industry and the U.S. economy back on track. She says the pandemic has made it very difficult to plan.
