NEW MEXICO'S TOURISM
INDUSTRY IS LOSING
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN
VISITOR SPENDING.
SOME SAY THE CONTINUED
14-DAY QUARANTINE HAS A
BIG IMPACT ON THAT
LOSS.
NEWS 13'S JAMI SEYMORE
SHOWS US WHAT IT WILL
TAKE FOR THE STATE TO
BOUNCE BACK.
AFTER A RECORD-BREAKING
YEAR FOR TOURISM IN
2019, NEW MEXICO
STARTED 2020 ON A GOOD
PATH TO BRING VISITORS
AND DOLLARS INTO THE
STATE.
SINCE COVID CLOSED
BUSINESS AFTER BUSINESS,
IT'S NOW ONE OF
THE INDUSTRIES HIT THE
HARDEST.
We have seen a drastic
decline in our visitor
spending which brings
new wealth into our
economy.
THE STATE IS LOSING AN
AVERAGE OF 403 MILLION
DOLLARS IN VISITOR
SPENDING EACH MONTH --
AROUND TWO BILLION
DOLLARS LOST BETWEEN
MARCH AND JULY --
AND IT'S A NUMBER LIKELY
TO GROW AS THE STATE
PREPARES FOR THE
LOSS OF THE 2020 BALLOON
FIESTA.
We don't have people
staying in our hotels,
we don't have people
coming to our museums or
restaurants.
EVEN AS HOTELS AND
BUSINESSES ADOPT
COVID-SAFE PRACTICES,
THE TOURISM DEPARTMENT
SAYS THE MANDATORY
14-DAY QUARANTINE
HURTS THOSE VISITOR
DOLLARS COMING IN --
BUT UNTIL AN AMENDMENT
TO THE QUARANTINE IS
ANNOUNCED, THEY
WANT TO TAKE THINGS DAY
BY DAY.
They're really taking a
deep look at the
implications of that
14-day quarantine to
make sure that we're not
introducing too much
risk.
STILL, SECRETARY OF
TOURISM JEN PAUL SCHROER
REMAINS
HOPEFUL NEW MEXICO'S
TOURISM -- FROM THE
NATIONAL PARKS TO
BALLOON FIESTA,
CONVENTIONS AND MORE --
WILL BOUNCE BACK.
We are going to rebound
from this pandemic. I'm
not saying it's not
going to be hard. It's
going to be really
hard.
THE TOURISM DEPARTMENT
SAYS IT COULD TAKE UP TO
SIX OR SEVEN YEARS FOR
THE STATE'S TOURISM
ECONOMY TO FULL RECOVER.
JAMI SEYMORE, KRQE NEWS
13.
THE TOURISM DEPARTMENT
SAYS THE ALBUQUERQUE
SUNPORT ALSO SAW
ONE OF THE BIGGEST DROPS
IN THE COUNTRY - WHEN
IS COMES TO
PASSENGERS GOING THROUGH
T-S-A.
THE DEPARTMENT SAYS IT'S
CRUCIAL TO GET AIR
TRAFFIC GOING AGAIN.
AFTER A BRIEF COOL DOWN
YESTERDAY, TEMPERATURES
ARE HEATING RIGHT BACK
UP! METEOROLOGIST ERICA
MEYER BREAKS IT DOWN--
SHE'S IN NEXT.
