Thousands of tourism-related jobs lost in Tucson

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TUCSON, Arizona – “It’s definitely a challenge,” said Dan Gibson of Visit Tucson.

The gem that was tourism in Tucson has gone through a huge cut.

Gibson said travel spending in 2019 totaled more than $ 2.5 billion

That year, the tourism lobby said it was still attracting visitors but not those who fly in.

“We still have success in marketing Tucson to move markets forward. The challenge is to move on from there.”

Gibson said more than 7 million people visited Tucson from the United States last year.

These visitors and their money fund thousands of jobs in the city’s tourism industry.

“In Pima County, that’s about 25,000 travel-related jobs.”

The pandemic is blamed for the cancellation or delay of some major events: The Rodeo, the main gem show, El Tour de Tucson, Gibson said it has also resulted in thousands of tourism jobs being introduced.

The outlook may seem bleak, but there’s something the region has, Gibson said, that gives it a glimmer of hope.

“It’s the nature of being outside.”

Market the city as a travel destination where you can really distance yourself, take off your mask and play outside.

“There are no script entertainment shows that are being shot in Tucson because they can take over an entire hotel wing and be isolated and have a room to themselves,” Gibson said.

He said it would take a couple of years to see the kind of tourist numbers and dollars they saw in 2019.

“The best thing we can talk about in Tucson tourism is the idea of ​​these open spaces.”

With the news of a vaccine and the marketing of the right attractions, Gibson said Tucson will make it through the wild ride.

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