The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on many of America’s “non-essential” industries. That includes tourism, as countless attractions have closed down, from commercial hotspots like Disney World to natural wonders like Grand Canyon National Park. Even if tourist spots were open, though, they wouldn’t see much business, as Americans are either encouraged or mandated to practice social distancing and stay at home.
As tourism suffers, workers will bear the brunt of the difficulty. According to data from the U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics, there could be as many as 5.9 million jobs lost due to declining travel by the end of April. However, the stimulus package signed by President Trump may provide some aid to the industry in the form of business loans, tax relief and other financial support.
Some states have taken more of a blow to their travel industries during the COVID-19 crisis than others. In order to find out which states have been hit the hardest, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 10 key metrics. Our data set ranges from share of businesses in travel and tourism-related industries to travel spending per travel employee and presence of stay-at-home orders. Read on for our ranking, additional commentary from a panel of experts and a complete description of our methodology.
Main Findings
States Where COVID-19 Has Had the Biggest Impact on Tourism
|
Overall Rank |
State |
Total Score |
‘State Dependency on Travel & Tourism Industry’ Rank |
‘State Aggressiveness Against Coronavirus’ Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | 81.38 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Montana | 67.75 | 3 | 10 |
| 3 | Nevada | 66.92 | 2 | 41 |
| 4 | Vermont | 64.60 | 5 | 5 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 61.38 | 11 | 4 |
| 6 | Florida | 60.77 | 4 | 29 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 59.64 | 6 | 18 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | 59.50 | 7 | 15 |
| 9 | New York | 59.33 | 8 | 14 |
| 10 | California | 56.88 | 10 | 23 |
| 11 | Maine | 56.70 | 15 | 8 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | 56.56 | 16 | 3 |
| 13 | Connecticut | 55.25 | 12 | 21 |
| 14 | Alaska | 55.16 | 17 | 1 |
| 15 | Wyoming | 54.45 | 9 | 45 |
| 16 | New Mexico | 53.49 | 14 | 12 |
| 17 | Maryland | 52.85 | 21 | 6 |
| 18 | Colorado | 52.52 | 13 | 36 |
| 19 | Arizona | 49.25 | 18 | 24 |
| 20 | Idaho | 48.38 | 19 | 29 |
| 21 | Washington | 47.89 | 22 | 17 |
| 22 | Tennessee | 47.66 | 20 | 33 |
| 23 | Delaware | 46.95 | 34 | 7 |
| 24 | Illinois | 45.89 | 23 | 28 |
| 25 | Oregon | 45.45 | 24 | 31 |
| 26 | South Carolina | 44.70 | 25 | 34 |
| 27 | Louisiana | 44.68 | 27 | 22 |
| 28 | Georgia | 43.78 | 28 | 35 |
| 29 | Virginia | 43.04 | 29 | 38 |
| 30 | Texas | 42.97 | 31 | 27 |
| 31 | New Jersey | 42.56 | 33 | 16 |
| 32 | Utah | 41.48 | 32 | 43 |
| 33 | West Virginia | 40.91 | 38 | 13 |
| 34 | Missouri | 40.74 | 35 | 37 |
| 35 | North Carolina | 39.95 | 36 | 39 |
| 36 | Kansas | 39.33 | 39 | 19 |
| 37 | Kentucky | 38.73 | 48 | 11 |
| 38 | Ohio | 38.07 | 51 | 9 |
| 39 | Michigan | 37.65 | 41 | 40 |
| 40 | Pennsylvania | 37.32 | 42 | 24 |
| 41 | Minnesota | 36.85 | 44 | 20 |
| 42 | North Dakota | 35.86 | 30 | 47 |
| 43 | South Dakota | 35.74 | 26 | 51 |
| 44 | Mississippi | 34.32 | 46 | 42 |
| 45 | Indiana | 34.00 | 49 | 26 |
| 46 | Wisconsin | 33.59 | 50 | 32 |
| 47 | Alabama | 33.35 | 47 | 43 |
| 48 | Nebraska | 31.30 | 37 | 50 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | 30.89 | 43 | 46 |
| 50 | Iowa | 30.42 | 40 | 48 |
| 51 | Arkansas | 26.83 | 45 | 49 |
Ask the Experts
The tourism industry has taken a huge hit because of the coronavirus pandemic. For more insight about COVID-19’s impact and the best ways to help tourism stay afloat, WalletHub turned to a panel of experts. Click on the experts below to see their bios and answers to the following key questions:
- How long do you believe international travel restrictions are going to be in place once we are on a downward slope of infections with COVID-19?
- How does the economic impact of this pandemic compare in magnitude to the 9/11 tragedy or the previous SARS outbreak for the country’s airlines?
- What are the best measures that local authorities can take to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the travel and tourism industry?
Ask the Experts
Ph.D. – Director of Business & Economic Research Center, Associate Professor of Economics, Pittsburg State University
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Associate Professor of Economics, Judd Leighton School of Business and Economics, Indiana University South Bend
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Assistant Professor, Economics, Towson University
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Professor, Columbia University
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Tuntex Professor of International and Development Economics, Yale University, Department of Economics
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Adjunct Professor, Boston University
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Methodology
In order to identify the states where coronavirus has most affected tourism, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across two key dimensions, “State Dependency on Travel & Tourism Industry” and “State Aggressiveness Against Coronavirus.”
We evaluated those dimensions using 10 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most affected.
We then determined the weighted average across all metrics to calculate an overall score for each state and the District. We used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.
State Dependency on Travel & Tourism Industry – Total Points: 85
- Share of Businesses in Travel & Tourism-Related Industries: Double Weight (~14.17 Points)
Note: This composite metric includes:- Accommodation
- Auto Transportation
- Entertainment and Recreation
- Food
- Retail
- Travel Arrangement
- Share of Employment in Travel & Tourism-Related Industries: Double Weight (~14.17 Points)
Note: This composite metric includes:- Accommodation
- Auto Transportation
- Entertainment and Recreation
- Food
- Retail
- Travel Arrangement
- Share of Travel & Tourism Industry Generated GDP: Double Weight (~14.17 Points)
Note: This composite metric includes:- Transportation
- Air Transportation
- Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation
- Rail Transportation
- Arts, Entertainment, Recreation
- Accommodation
- Food Services
- Travel & Tourism Consumer Spending per Capita: Double Weight (~14.17 Points)
Note: This composite metric includes:- Accommodation
- Auto Transportation
- Entertainment and Recreation
- Food
- Retail
- Travel Arrangement
- Share of Consumer Expenditures on Travel: Full Weight (~7.08 Points)
Note: This metric measures consumer expenditures on travel as a share of total consumer expenditures per household. - Travel Spending Per Travel Employee: Double Weight (~14.17 Points)
Note: This composite metric includes:- Accommodation
- Auto Transportation
- Entertainment and Recreation
- Food
- Retail
- Travel Arrangement
- Default Probability on Loans of Businesses in Travel & Tourism Industry: Full Weight (~7.08 Points)
Note: This composite metric includes:- Accommodation
- Auto Transportation
- Entertainment and Recreation
- Food
- Retail
- Travel Arrangement
State Aggressiveness Against Coronavirus – Total Points: 15
- Presence of Mandatory Quarantine for Travelers: Double Weight (~5.00 Points)
Note: This metric measures the mandatory quarantine policies for travelers by state. - Presence of Stay-at-Home Order: Triple Weight (~7.50 Points)
Note: This metric measures the presence of “Stay-at-Home Order” policies by state. - Most Aggressive States Against the Coronavirus Ranking: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Most Aggressive States Against the Coronavirus” ranking.
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Travel Association, PayNet, Kaiser Family Foundation and WalletHub Research.
