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The 15 states where tourism has been hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic
Cyclists ride through a nearly empty Times Square in New York City on March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid The coronavirus pandemic has devastated the tourism industry worldwide.In the US, some states have been hit harder than others because their economies are more dependent on tourism.Hawaii’s tourism sector has taken the biggest hit from the pandemic,…

REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid
- The coronavirus pandemic has devastated the tourism industry worldwide.
- In the US, some states have been hit harder than others because their economies are more dependent on tourism.
- Hawaii’s tourism sector has taken the biggest hit from the pandemic, according to a new report from WalletHub.
- Montana, Nevada, Vermont, and Massachusetts rounded out the top five.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
The coronavirus pandemic has devastated the tourism industry worldwide.
Airline passenger traffic has dropped by up to 90%. Major cruise companies are canceling cruises. Marriott, the world’s biggest hotel company, furloughed tens of thousands of staff.
In the US, the tourism sectors in 30 states have taken a hit of 80% or more, according to the US Travel Association. The association estimates that the US travel economy has lost $60.8 billion in the past five weeks. Some states have been hit harder than others because their economies are more dependent on tourism.
Personal finance website WalletHub has ranked the states where the tourism industry is suffering the most because of the pandemic.
WalletHub ranked each state and Washington, DC by two factors: “State Dependency on Travel & Tourism Industry,” which included metrics like accommodation, food, retail, entertainment, and travel spending per capita; and “State Aggressiveness Against Coronavirus,” which included metrics such as a mandatory quarantine for travelers and the presence of a stay-at-home order.
The site then compiled a total score out of 100 for each state. A score of 100 represents the state with the tourism industry that’s most affected by the pandemic.
With a total score of 81.38, Hawaii was found to have the hardest-hit tourism sector, followed by Montana and Nevada. Here are the top 15 states where tourism has taken the biggest hit from the coronavirus pandemic, ranked in ascending order.
15. Wyoming
William Campbell-Corbis via Getty Images
Total score: 54.45
State dependence on travel and tourism rank: 9
State aggressiveness against coronavirus rank: 45
14. Alaska
Blue Poppy/Getty Images
Total score: 55.16
State dependence on travel and tourism rank: 17
State aggressiveness against coronavirus rank: 1
13. Connecticut
Greg Patton/Shutterstock
Total score: 55.25
State dependence on travel and tourism rank: 12
State aggressiveness against coronavirus rank: 21
12. Rhode Island
Total score: 56.56
State dependence on travel and tourism rank: 16
State aggressiveness against coronavirus rank: 3
11. Maine
Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
Total score: 56.70
State dependence on travel and tourism rank: 15
State aggressiveness against coronavirus rank: 8
10. California
REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Total score: 56.88
State dependence on travel and tourism rank: 10
State aggressiveness against coronavirus rank: 23
9. New York
Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Total score: 59.33
State dependence on travel and tourism rank: 8
State aggressiveness against coronavirus rank: 14
8. Washington, DC
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Total score: 59.50
State dependence on travel and tourism rank: 7
State aggressiveness against coronavirus rank: 15
7. New Hampshire
Getty Images/Philip Case Cohen
Total score: 59.64
State dependence on travel and tourism rank: 6
State aggressiveness against coronavirus rank: 18
6. Florida
Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS
Total score: 60.77
State dependence on travel and tourism rank: 4
State aggressiveness against coronavirus rank: 29
5. Massachusetts
REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Total score: 61.38
State dependence on travel and tourism rank: 11
State aggressiveness against coronavirus rank: 4
4. Vermont
REUTERS/Caleb Kenna
Total score: 64.60
State aggressiveness against coronavirus rank: 5
State dependence on travel and tourism rank: 5
3. Nevada
REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
Total score: 66.92
State dependence on travel and tourism rank: 2
State aggressiveness against coronavirus rank: 41
2. Montana
William Campbell-Corbis via Getty Image
Total score: 67.75
State dependence on travel and tourism rank: 3
State aggressiveness against coronavirus rank: 10
1. Hawaii
AP Photo/Caleb Jones
Total score: 81.38
State dependence on travel and tourism rank: 1
State aggressiveness against coronavirus rank: 2
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