The impact of COVID-19 on Florida, California and Virginia regarding tourism and the leisure industry

Abstract

One of the worst affected industries, when COVID-19 burst out, was travel in the US and all the states, had been hit mercilessly, due to the virus. This paper tries to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the states of Florida, California, and Virginia tourism sectors. These states, which are renowned for their varied attractions and flourishing tourism industries, encountered significant difficulties, during the pandemic. The general economy, local businesses, and jobs were all significantly impacted by the drop in tourism. Around $1.3 trillion in export revenues were lost due to a dramatic reduction in foreign travel, which is 11 times the amount lost during the previous economic crisis in 2009. Due to the global spread of the epidemic, the tourism and hospitality sector experienced one of the most severe operational, commercial, and economic problems. The masterful collaboration between the local authorities’ and state governments made these states a success story. There has been an abundance of funding that helped revive the local businesses as well as an expansion of domestic tourism that left the visitors free to explore the states while remaining healthy. Therefore, the vastness of the states and the climate of the states also have played an important role in promoting tourism throughout the year.

JEL classification: P25, Z32

Keywords: Tourism, United States, COVID-19, pandemic, leisure industry