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11/20/2020

Updates 11/20: Ohio's Travel Industry and the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Travel Forecast

FORECAST FOR U.S. TRAVEL RELEASED

U.S. Travel released the Fall 2020 Travel Forecast, which provides updated estimates for how domestic leisure and business travel, as well as international inbound travel, will perform this year and beyond. The results of this report are dire, particularly for business travel.

Based on what we are hearing from you, different Ohio regions and industry sub-sectors are experiencing various levels of decline and growth. Rural areas, those with outdoor activities, those who have really focused on implementing and communicated safety protocols, and those who have had the ability to create new experiences with distancing top of mind are doing better than others.

One bright spot is that the forecast for domestic leisure travel has improved slightly since spring. 

Travel Research

AMERICANS STILL TRAVELED FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 2020. AS PREDICTED, VISITING FRIENDS AND RELATIVES, ROAD TRIPS, AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES AMONG MOST POPULAR

Key findings from Longwoods International’s Travel USA report released Nov. 18. This research is important as it measured actual travel behavior and not just sentiment:

AVERAGE LOSS IN BOOKINGS CLOSE TO 70%, INCREASE IN BOOKINGS CLOSE TO HOME, ONLINE BOOKINGS GREW WHILE BOOKINGS THROUGH ONLINE TRAVEL INTERMEDIARIES FELL

Key findings from Arival’s The State of Recovery for Tours, Activities and Attractions report fielded Sept. 10 through Oct. 9. Unless specified below as Canada/US, results are based on global respondents:

Public Health Order Updates

INTENT OF GOVERNOR'S GATHERING ORDER IS LARGELY FOR SOCIAL EVENTS. SAFETY PROTOCOL IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER.   

In Tuesday’s State of Ohio COVID-19 briefing, Governor DeWine stated that the Nov. 15 Amended Gatherings Order “has to do of course with wedding receptions and funerals.” The Governor can be heard reinforcing this point in this [on-demand recording of the announcement, at 07:33.]

OTA and OHLA previously contacted the Governor’s office to explain urgent concerns about the impact of the order on meetings, conferences and banquet events. The Governor’s comments and those conversations confirm the intent of the order is for social events, and the state has not taken action to lead to cancelling business events by making them unworkable. For business events, venues are directed to ensure compliance with existing requirements and standards for seating including limits on the number of attendees per table, social distancing, face coverings, cleaning and disinfecting, and health safety.

Key elements of the mass gathering order include:

REVISED PUBLIC HEALTH ORDER FOR RETAIL BUSINESSES RELEASED 

Governor DeWine released the revised public health order regarding mask-wearing and compliance:

Compliance Enforcement

Your Help Is Needed

SHARE YOUR STORY SO LEADERS UNDERSTAND THE URGENCY 

Please take a few minutes to share how COVID-19 has impacted your business or organization. These stories will be used to communicate the urgency of the situation to members of Congress, as well as Ohio leaders, as talks about economic relief continue. Thanks to the generosity of U.S. Travel, Ohio results and stories will be shared with the Ohio Travel Association to avoid duplication. The survey is being conducted by the COVID Relief Now Coalition, of which the Ohio Travel Association is a partner.

Tell Your Story Here

Economic Relief Updates

OHIO NONPROFIT GRANTS GUIDELINES RELEASED - DOES NOT INCLUDE RECREATION AND/OR CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS

Despite the gap in relief for many recreation and cultural organizations due to the arts and culture grants only being given to about 350 organizations who already receive state funding, the new nonprofit grant guidelines released this week do not include those from the travel and hospitality economy most in need. Only 501(c)(3) agencies that provide direct services to low-income or at-risk Ohioans are eligible for the nonprofit relief program, and the agency further says eligibility is granted to only those outside health care, education, recreation and/or cultural activities. More details can be found here.

 

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