Celebrate National Travel & Tourism Week May 7-13, 2023

Thank you to all of our residents, visitors, and business owners who make Bloomington such a vibrant & friendly visitor destination. Without you, our local shops, restaurants, venues, and accommodations wouldn't be able to flourish as they do thanks to your interest in touring B-Town. Please read the statement below from Visit Bloomington's Executive Director, Mike McAfee, about your impact on tourism in Monroe County and how we can foster an even stronger community going forward. 
 

To our community:

It’s been a challenging two years, but Monroe County's and Bloomington’s tourism industry is strong. As our slow recovery continues, we want to thank you for your perseverance and efforts during the pandemic. We know it’s not over, and we will continue to be more responsible than ever with our promotional messages and every bit of work we do.  

Although 2,000 tourism-related jobs were lost in Monroe County in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism remained the county’s sixth largest employer with 4,700 jobs. As the economy began to recover in 2021, labor and supply challenges grew. Hotels, restaurants, attractions, retail shops, and other hospitality & entertainment organizations are still adapting to this reality. Education, healthcare, and many other professional services that tourism helps support are experiencing these challenges as they continue to recover, too. All of these industries work together to positively impact quality of life in our region — you can find more information and data on the impact of tourism here.

Visit Bloomington salutes the brave people working in healthcare, education, culinary, retail, lodging, entertainment, and other industries for their heroic efforts during the pandemic and beyond. Thank you for keeping us safe, and thank you to the entire community for your support of the tourism industry during these tough times.

Sincerely,

Mike McAfee
Executive Director
Visit Bloomington
 

Please get your safe & effective vaccine to protect you, your family, friends, and everyone from COVID-19: Monroe County Health Department COVID-19 Vaccine Information.

Learn more about tourism in Monroe County and why it's so vital to our community on our Impact of Tourism page.