Tourism is the backbone of countless American jobs. When visitor spending collapses, the impact spreads like wildfire by shutting down businesses and cutting livelihoods overnight. IMPLAN reveals just how deep the damage runs. The numbers are staggering, and they throw a light on the rapid decline. Read on to see which industries are already being hit the hardest.
Travel Agencies
Few sectors show the collapse more starkly than travel agencies. Once the backbone of international trip planning, many are now facing closure as tourist spending spirals toward a $12.5 billion drop by 2025. And with a $50 billion tourism trade gap already in play, downsizing has become more of a necessity than a choice.
Hotels And Motels
The potential loss of 41,358 hotel and motel positions signals a crisis in American tourism. Hotels, which typically maintain large workforces relative to their income, stand to suffer greatly from reduced international spending. Additionally, though lodging traditionally draws substantial foreign tourist dollars, a $21 billion decline looms over our heads.
Limited-Service Restaurants
Nearly 21,000 jobs vanished from the fast-food and quick-service sector, once a staple of international visitor spending. Dining may remain a top category for tourist spending, but when revenues nosedive, even these lean operations couldn’t keep their shop and staff afloat.
Full-Service Restaurants
Bustling tourist hotspots that once guaranteed packed tables now sit eerily quiet. Full-service restaurants, more dependent than most on tourist traffic, shed 19,245 jobs as international arrivals dried up. The irony? These establishments still demand heavy staffing, but without a steady stream of visitors, the math just doesn’t work anymore.
Fitness And Recreational Sports Centers
Here, too, the fallout is striking. More than 10,500 jobs disappeared from fitness and recreational sports centers once buoyed by tourism dollars. Many now limp along at reduced capacity. And the damage doesn’t stop at resorts or tourist hubs—it’s spilling into local communities that relied on the same revenue streams.
Commercial Sports (Except Racing)
Sports and entertainment venues tell a similar story. With tourism slowing, commercial sports lost nearly 9,000 jobs. For big U.S. cities that depend on major sporting events to lure visitors, that’s a devastating blow. Add in reduced operations at fitness centers, and the now recreational sports feel almost unrecognizable.
Gasoline Stations
Tourist-heavy gas stations have seen their traffic evaporate. Nearly 4,000 retail jobs disappeared as fewer cars hit the road. And here’s the kicker: the losses aren’t limited to fuel. Road-trippers used to stock up on snacks and supplies, but now even those side sales have nearly dried up.
Personal Care Services
When hotels slash over 41,000 jobs and restaurants cut another 40,000, salons, spas, and barbershops in the area feel the pinch, too. In fact, 4,411 jobs in personal care services have already disappeared, revealing how the ripple effect has been especially brutal on these workers.
Ride-Share And Taxi Drivers
Ride-share and taxi drivers across tourist destinations struggle to maintain their livelihoods. The $12.5 billion decrease in tourism spending has created ripple effects throughout the transportation sector. Beyond that, an 8.2% reduction in international arrivals by 2025 threatens further income losses.
Local Artisans And Performers
Finally, there’s the cultural heartbeat of tourism: local artisans and performers. With fewer visitors attending shows, buying crafts, supporting live events, etc., these workers are struggling. The wider collapse in fitness centers and in sports venues only makes it harder for them to sustain their livelihoods.
