By ROD ZOOK
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — It is going to be a long recovery for everyone in the business sector in the wake of the pandemic. That includes finding ways to get visitors back to Hutchinson for various events, according to LeAnn Cox with the Hutchinson CVB.
“It’s going to be a long road, that is for sure. But that’s the way it is everywhere,” Cox said. “What we’ve been doing since this first started, and what we will continue to do, is working closely with the events to try and encourage them to reschedule versus canceling, and sometimes that’s possible and sometimes it’s not.”
Cox says that encouraging people to travel and attend events is a balancing act.
“We are still sensing that people are hesitant about traveling,” Cox said. “And again, it’s all about timing, so we don’t want to jump out there and get in people’s faces. We still want to be careful and cautious.”
Cox says they have been in contact with many of the events that come to Hutchinson, especially the NJCAA since Hutchinson hosts the national basketball tournament. Cox says they also learned that the NJCAA national track meet that was canceled will be coming back to Hutchinson.
Cox says they expect to see a drop of 70% to 90% in the hotel/motel tax that is generated by visitors to Hutchinson, especially during big events like the tournament and the state fair.