August Solar Eclipse Doubled Leisure Travel in Some Destinations
by Richard D'Ambrosio
According to location tech company PlaceIQ, leisure travel increased by double or more to cities located directly in the path of August’s solar eclipse, demonstrating how major events can be leveraged to promote travel.
PlaceIQ analyzed visitation to the areas that witnessed a full eclipse on Monday, Aug 21st and compared it to previous Mondays, finding that Paducah, Ky., Cape Girard, Mo., and Harrisburg, Ill., experienced a 216% increase in tourism. Columbia, S.C., experienced a 208% increase, while Portland, Ore., saw travel double.
In other major cities, travel was up 37% in Knoxville, Tenn., 28% in Nashville, Tenn. and 19% in Charleston, S.C.. Cities close to the path of the full solar eclipse also benefitted as jumping off points for travelers. Kansas City, Mo., saw travel increase 9% and St. Louis experienced an 8% increase.
