Despite a slight uptick in leisure travel in Arizona this spring and summer, conventions and business travel hasn’t returned.
Kim Sabow, president and CEO of the Arizona Lodging and Tourism Association, says it could be two or three years before the travel industry returns to pre-pandemic levels.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has been the single greatest crisis to hit this industry, wiping out 10 years of job growth," Sabow said.
Sabow says at the height of the pandemic, the industry lost 50% of its workforce, and it’s going to take some time to rebuild.