HUTCHINSON, Kan. — As it looks like the Kansas State Fair will be canceled for this year, area businesses that rely on the fair are bracing for the financial impact.
LeAnn Cox with the Hutchinson Convention and Visitors Bureau says canceling the fair will have an impact on the community.
“It obviously will be very disappointing for those in the community that participate, whether that be from a vendor perspective or whether that be from their individual business that benefits from those that do travel into the community,” Cox said.
Cox says that the cancelation of the fair will just add to what has been a miserable year for local hotels.
“Our hoteliers have been hard hit by this entire COVID situation dating back to mid-March when we couldn’t finish the 3A basketball and we had to cancel altogether the NJCAA basketball,” Cox said. “So it’s been a really rough road for the hotels.”
Cox says local restaurants will also feel the pinch of not having the extra visitors to the fair.
“A significant number of our restaurants, to a certain extent, have limitations,” Cox said. "Whether that’s their hours, whether that’s the days of the week they’re open, whether it’s the menu options that they’re offering. They’re being cautious in getting back into a routine.”
While no dollar loss can be placed on the cancellation of the fair, Cox says it is a big number.
“That’s a larger event than something we could ever put a dollar figure to,” Cox noted. “Ten years ago, the state fair commissioned an economic impact study by KU. Ten years ago it was well over $5 million that transitioned during that period of time.”
Cox also noted that the nation’s travel and tourism business will continue to suffer from the pandemic with some studies predicting it could be 2024 before the travel industry gets fully back to where it was before the pandemic.