FOX VALLEY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Travel has virtually stopped and sports teams are no longer playing.
The tourism industry has taken a hit.
In the Fox Cities, the Convention & Visitors Bureau says hotel room revenue was down 40% in March.
“Oshkosh is Wisconsin event city, and it’s really had a big impact on the events,” Justin DeJager with the Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau said.
Country USA is postponed until August.
DeJager tells FOX 11 for now, other events are still on as scheduled.
“We really want them to happen if they can safely. Country USA, Rock USA, Lifest, like I said, huge events for not only Oshkosh but the community surrounding this area as well.”
One of the biggest events in Northeast Wisconsin is EAA Airventure. University of Wisconsin Oshkosh estimates that it brings in a stream of money.
“It’s $170 million for the week, for the five counties stretching from Brown County through Fond du Lac County through the Fox Valley. So it is a tremendous economic machine, not only for EAA and everything that happens on the ground, but everything from hotels to restaurants to the mom and pop shops,” Dick Knapinski with EAA said.
Knapinski tells FOX 11 AirVenture is still scheduled for July, but a final decision will be made in May.
“It’s become just a giant schedule of uncertainty. And perhaps that’s the most frustrating part and the most nerve wracking part is the uncertainty. Not just for us, but for everybody involved in the tourism industry in Wisconsin.”
Beth Knapinski, with the Fox Cities Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, telling Fox 11 they’ve seen some potential positive trends for the tourism industry.
“Some of the trends we’ve seen in recent traveler pulse surveys from across the country is that people are still interested in traveling, are still planning to travel within the next 6 to 9 months.”
She says places like the Valley could be people’s first getaway after COVID-19.
“Destinations like ours, those regional drive to destinations, are really going to be the ones leading the recovery.”
Too soon to tell what the dollar loss to the industry will be, but she expects it will be substantial.
“In the millions, we’re expecting.”
Both the Oshkosh and Fox Cities Convention and Visitor Bureaus say their focus is on supporting local businesses, so they’re thriving when tourism does pick back up.
