One of the biggest impacts to the Danville area since the pandemic began has been revenue from tourism.
Major events such as Balloons over Vermilion and the NJCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament that normally would provide boosts have been canceled.
Still, Vermilion County has seen a small improvement in the numbers. Jeanie Cooke of the Danville Area Visitors’ Bureau says Danville at times saw almost a 50 percent drop in tourism revenue, but that number has improved slightly, to only a 41 percent drop currently.
“It is still a major impact to the tourism dollar that comes in from people who don’t live here, from across the line in Indiana, from visiting relatives, to coming to events which have all been canceled,” she says. “It has been devastating across the board.”
Cooke says she is hopeful once a vaccine is widely available in the next few months that many of the events can return to the area. She says the Danville Dans and the Prospect League are moving forward with plans for a summer 2021 season. She says she is preparing for the events to return, but a lot is still unknown heading into the new year.
Illinois is one of the hardest-hit states by the pandemic in terms of the travel industry, with losses above 50 percent, and the only Midwestern state with heavy losses.
Since March, a total of $402 billion in tax revenue has been lost around the country.
