Swine Flu has the Tourism Industry Reeling

If the economy wasn’t bad enough, now we have the swine flu (H1N1) nipping at our heels which could cause an even greater slowdown to our nation’s tourism economy as we head into our busy summer season. U.S. hotels have been hit hard by 16 months of recession. With the recovery forecasted to begin in the summer of 2010 many wonder how much further hotel occupancies will fall; how many more restaurants will close and which businesses will survive this very difficult path we are on right now. We all hope that the H1N1 virus can be contained quickly, but health officials have reported that we are all in for at least a 10-week ride.
 

If the virus can’t be contained and it lingers longer than forecasted, travel overseas and to Mexico will decline significantly as we approach the summer family vacation season. Most domestic cities including Louisville are counting on the summer domestic traveler to help ease the lower hotel occupancy and infuse badly needed dollars into our economy. The H1N1 virus may cause individuals to reassess their short-distance travel say 50 to 200 miles. I urge everyone not to panic. Let’s see how this plays out in the next few weeks. Make your plans as scheduled and adjust only if there is a need to do so.

Last weekend Louisville hosted the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby. Though the overall Derby economic impact was down slightly in terms of revenue from last year, Louisville still hosted the 7th largest crowd on record with over 153,000 people in attendance. Many of those in attendance were from within a 200 mile radius. Even though they spent a little less than a visitor from the East or West coast would, we were very thankful to those individuals who decided to travel and take in a great experience. There were a few questions from the media late in the week regarding the H1N1 flu. I didn’t believe it would alter anyone’s travel plans and by the attendance, it seems we were accurate with our assessment. People still traveled to Louisville, enjoyed themselves and took back home with them a lot of fantastic memories surrounding the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby. That’s what travel is all about…making memories with friends and relatives. Memories that can last a lifetime! Experiencing life to its fullest!

This Friday we will be kicking off our Hometown Tourist Month program. There will be outstanding offers from our area attractions for our local residents to take advantage of during the month of May. If it’s been a while since you visited one of our area attractions, we encourage you to participate in this program by re-visiting some of America’s best attractions which are in your own back yard with your friends or family members. Please visit our web site for all the latest information and deals that are made available for our local residents at www.gotolouisville.com.

Unfortunately the H1N1 flu virus will be with us for awhile. Take all necessary precautions as advised but also take time out to travel and enjoy what this entire nation has to offer this summer. We all need a break!