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Triad Tourism Sees Room For Hope After 'Really Tough' Year

Downtown Winston-Salem's Innovation Quarter. DAVID FORD/WFDD

As more COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, Triad tourism is poised for a robust recovery.

Over the three years leading up to the pandemic, with a strong overall economy and major developments downtown, Winston-Salem's tourism and hospitality industries experienced unprecedented growth.

That all changed dramatically in March of last year when everything began to shut down due to COVID-19 — and the hospitality industry was among the hardest hit. The bottom fell out, cutting the city's tourism budget in half. 

Visit Winston-Salem President Richard Geiger says it wasn't until vaccines rolled out that things began to change for the better.

"People, once they got vaccinated, felt comfortable with moving around," says Geiger. "And let's face it, we were all ready to get out of the house. I mean we love our loved ones, but boy, we all needed a break. And we all needed to get out and travel and go somewhere and go out to dinner and be with other people."

Since then, Geiger says the tourism industry has been pacing very strongly with the return of youth sporting events, in-person college commencements, and the furniture market.

He says this year's budget — which will be presented to city officials this week — is just down 25 percent from pre-COVID days. He expects a full return by 2022 if the industry finds enough workers to keep the momentum going.

For the most up-to-date information on coronavirus in North Carolina, visit our Live Updates blog here. WFDD wants to hear your stories — connect with us and let us know what you're experiencing.

Before his arrival in the Triad, David had already established himself as a fixture in the Austin, Texas arts scene as a radio host for Classical 89.5 KMFA. During his tenure there, he produced and hosted hundreds of programs including Mind Your Music, The Basics and T.G.I.F. Thank Goodness, It's Familiar, which each won international awards in the Fine Arts Radio Competition. As a radio journalist with 88.5 WFDD, his features have been recognized by the Associated Press, Public Radio News Directors Inc., Catholic Academy of Communication Professionals, and Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas. David has written and produced national stories for NPR, KUSC and CPRN in Los Angeles and conducted interviews for Minnesota Public Radio's Weekend America.

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