Spring festival turnouts show progress toward tourism recovery

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

Annual events that make Norman the City of Festivals are returning with significant turnouts, and as the economy continues to recover from the pandemic, local leaders are looking at ways to further the town’s image as a destination for tourism.

Norman business and city leaders heard from both local and national experts in tourism and destination marketing on Monday to kick off National Travel and Tourism Week with a tourism luncheon, hosted by VisitNorman.

Dan Schemm, VisitNorman Executive Director, said Norman is an economic development region within a community, a statement supported by the popularity of last month’s events.

Schemm said that they have seen that just in the last couple of weeks with the Medieval Fair, which had a 183% increase over the 2019 numbers.

According to the American Hotel and Lodging Association, travel and tourism serve as drivers of the U.S. economy they generate $2.6 trillion in economic output and support one in 10 jobs in 2019.

Travel is Oklahoma’s third-largest industry, behind oil and gas and aerospace.

The rate of increase for Norman Music Festival compared to 2019 is not yet determined, but Schemm said the event drew at least 100,000 people.

When the festivals stopped, so did the traveling for business and leisure. Schemm said the lack of travel was felt by restaurants, service and specialty shops alike.

In 2021, the U.S. recovered to about 78% of the 2019 figures.

That’s still a loss of $755 billion dollars throughout the travel industry, Schemm said.

Norman has recovered at a faster rate than the national average.

Schemm said local tourism recovery is at 85% compared to 2019. The city’s guest tax revenue dropped to 5% of what it was in 2019 on multiple occasions.

With the assistance of emergency funds from city council, the tourism industry survived.

In 2020, VisitNorman launched Eat Norman Restaurant Week to highlight local eateries with special promotions, creating visibility during a difficult time for many businesses.

This year, Eat Norman Restaurant Week will have a charitable component. Further details will soon be announced.

Other efforts to promote the local economy are VisitNorman’s Out and About campaign and a collaborative effort with the city and the chamber called Norman Sidewalk Sale.

With hopes of a continued trend toward normalcy, VisitNorman heard from nationally-renowned marketing and business development expert Jon Schallert for inspiration on their next campaign to boost local tourism.

When Schallert meets with clients big or small, he tries to uncover what makes their business unique.

He often asks what they offer that can’t be found anywhere else.

Schallert said some communities and businesses are “playing too small of a game.”

But with multiple entities working to boost the different sectors and districts of the local economy, Norman is equipped to avoid that pitfall.

Everyday we have a chance to play that bigger game and make things happen, Schallert said.

VisitNorman looks to host Schallert a second time in August, where he will talk further about destination development strategy.

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