CINCINNATI — Roughly 4,500 people will head to Cincinnati over Fourth of July Weekend for the 133rd annual International Moose Convention.
From June 30 through July 4, the group will discuss the global operation of its lodges and fraternities.
The Cincinnati Reds are on an extended homestead, including a weekend matchup with the Chicago Cubs. And everyone knows Cubs fans travel well.
This holiday weekend is an important milestone for the local tourism and hospitality industries that suffered greatly during the past 18 months due to the pandemic.
“Certainly the pandemic had a debilitating impact on the travel and tourism industry locally and really around the country,” said Julie Calvert, president and CEO of the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB).
What You Need To Know
- Loss of 166 conventions/conferences due to COVID had a negative economic impact of $114 million
- Some events starting to return to the region
- Leisure travel still far outpacing business trave
- Numbers expected to be back to near 2019 numbers by 2023
Calvert recalled March 7, 2020 as the date of the “big drop-off.”
Duke Energy Convention Center in downtown Cincinnati (Provided)
“Events were canceling, meetings were canceling, (hotel room) occupancies really just started taking a downward spiral. And that continued throughout 2020,” she said.
In total, 166 groups canceled conferences or conventions in Cincinnati/Hamilton County last year, per the CVB. Duke Energy Convention Center…
