Tucson tourism slow to bounce back

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TUCSON, Arizona (KOLD News 13) – Even as travel restrictions begin to ease, it will be a while before the southern Arizona tourism industry fully recovers.

The travel industry was likely the hardest hit economic sector due to lockdowns and stay-at-home orders during the pandemic.

“I think this is the beginning of the end,” said Dan Gibson, Senior Director of Communications at Visit Tucson. “But you can’t just put up a sign that says grand opening.”

That grand opening likely won’t happen until the peak of the tourist season in 2022 with the resurgent Gem Show, Golf, and Rodeo.

But the real test comes first with the booking of congresses and group trips.

“You’re starting to see these things in book,” said Gibson. “I mean, they’ll be back on the calendar.”

Convention and group travel are the backbone of the industry, but they plummeted 85% during the pandemic. This is a deep hole to dig out of and it will take time.

“I think everyone in a business that has conventions is starting to see these invitations come through,” he said.

If it recovers, September and October trades should be a good indication of how well and how quickly it will recover.

Travel journalists have booked reservations for Tucson, a sign that they will travel again and will make it a priority to make Tucson open to business again.

But even with a little optimism, there are some serious problems, particularly with regard to workers.

The industry lost half of its workers during the pandemic and they have been slow to return.

Hotels and resorts offer incentives for people to simply fill out an application.

The labor shortage also affects the vacancy rate of some hotels, which hold back rentable rooms because of insufficient staff.

According to state statistics, the vacancy rate in Tucson is around 48%.

“I know properties that have reduced the number of rooms sold because they just don’t feel like they can provide good service to people,” he said. “So there is always a balance between trying to keep people at an attractive price, but also selling enough rooms that you know make sense.”

Another problem that is causing a slow turnaround is the lack of Mexican tourism, which is a significant part of the tourism business here.

“The Department of Homeland Security says the cross-border travel restrictions will remain in effect until June 21, 2021.

“That doesn’t mean there aren’t some people who can travel back and forth,” he said. “But the large-scale entry from Mexico is still a challenge.”

Copyright 2021 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved.

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