<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600444635326.png" alt="Closure of the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum due to the COVID-19 pandemic has undercut tourism revenue in Abilene as it has in other communities statewide. This statue of Eisenhower is on the Capitol grounds in Topeka. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Closure of the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum due to the COVID-19 pandemic has undercut tourism revenue in Abilene as it has in other communities statewide. This statue of Eisenhower is on the Capitol grounds in Topeka. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/09/17/coronavirus-remains-plague-on-kansas-tourism-entertainment-and-winery-industries/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Damage to the 
Kansas tourism economy during the COVID-19 pandemic can be illustrated 
by impact of closing the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in 
Abilene.The largest attraction in 
Abilene has been closed for months, blocking access to the $9 million 
exhibit space opened in August 2019 after an eight-month renovation. 
Nearly 150,000 people visited the museum last year. That was expected to
 double in 2020, said Kelly Peetoom, president of the Travel Industry 
Association of Kansas.“The 2020 travel season 
was predicted to be Abilene’s best year in a long time. In contrast, it 
is Abilene’s tourism industry’s worst,” Peetoom said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600444753909.jpeg" alt="Kelly Peetoom, of the Travel Industry Association of Kansas, says the COVID-19 pandemic has deeply undermined the state’s ability to sustain economic activity tied to tourism. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Kelly Peetoom, of the Travel Industry Association of Kansas, says the COVID-19 pandemic has deeply undermined the state’s ability to sustain economic activity tied to tourism. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>He told a joint House and 
Senate committee considering potential of economic recovery from the 
pandemic Thursday that Visit Overland Park projected year-end revenue 
would be 40% less than in 2019. COVID-19 has cost Overland Park about 
$44 million in economic returns from conventions and meetings, he said.In Garden City, Peetoom 
said, Finney County is open for business but limited travel in the 
Garden City area is hitting small businesses, restaurants and lodging 
the hardest hit. About 30 events were canceled at a cost of millions in 
lost tourism dollars, he said.Transient guest tax 
collections in Olathe are down 65% compared to the same time last year, 
he said. The Olathe Conference Center has cancelled or rescheduled 95% 
of bookings for April through December of this year, he said.“Many industries and 
economic experts have stated that our country is in a recession due to 
the pandemic,” Peetoom said. “I am here to demonstrate that the 
hospitality tourism industry is in a depression.”Mike Logan, who owns the 
Bottleneck and Granada live music venues in downtown Lawrence, said both
 closed March 15 due to the pandemic and the bars wouldn’t return to 
previous operational levels until summer 2021.The hesitancy of performers and their fans to gather for concerts remains an obstacle to resumption of events, he said.“The venue industry is 
injured,” Logan said. “Our business model is based on touching shoulder 
to shoulder in a crowded auditorium. We rely on a national inventory 
(of) touring artists who get in a bus and come across the country. They 
need to be able to make a full trip. Our industry is limited by a 
national reopening of touring artists.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600444790780.jpeg" alt="Mike Logan, owner of the Bottleneck and Granada music venues in Lawrence, told state legislators the entertainment industry may not get back on its feet until summer 2021 due to impact of COVID-19 on music tours and mass gatherings. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Refflector)" />
 <figcaption>Mike Logan, owner of the Bottleneck and Granada music venues in Lawrence, told state legislators the entertainment industry may not get back on its feet until summer 2021 due to impact of COVID-19 on music tours and mass gatherings. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Refflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>He said the entertainment 
and hospitality industries needed ongoing help from state government. He
 said restaurants operating at 30% to 50% of seating capacity must still
 meet mortgage debt, property tax and other routine business expenses 
during the pandemic.Michelle Meyer, who is an 
owner of Holy-Field Vineyard and Winery in Basehor, said the 26th year 
of operation during the pandemic has been a struggle.“We’re almost three 
decades into business,” she said. “Being a heritage brand like that is 
really beneficial because you have the longevity that people recognize 
and the quality and the value. For younger businesses, I think it has 
maybe been a little more difficult. Those are the types of businesses 
that we really need to support.”She said Holy-Field 
shifted to curbside sales of wine, because the operation has relied upon
 on-site sales rather than shipping wine directly to consumers.About two-dozen events 
scheduled for the winery have been called off since March and the 
banquet portion of their business is still idled, she said.“When you can’t let people
 into your business, you can’t really introduce them to new things,” she
 said. “For wineries, we’re in the hospitality business. We like to talk
 to people and share the fruits of our labor — literally. That makes it 
difficult.”Tim Carpenter has reported on Kansas for 35 years. He covered the Capitol for 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal and previously worked for the Lawrence Journal-World and United Press International.

Virus remains plague on Kan. tourism, entertainment, winery industries