The States Hit Hardest by COVID-19's Impact on Tourism

The United States as a whole has been hit hard by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic but some states are being impacted more than others when it comes to travel and tourism. WalletHub recently compared the 50 states and Washington, D.C. across nearly a dozen key metrics such as share of businesses in the travel and tourism-related industries, travel spending per travel employee and presence of stay-at-home orders, among others, to determine the states where tourism is being hit hardest due to COVID-19.

The nation's most populous state with more than 39.5 million people, California ranks 10th in WalletHub's study. Therefore, it makes sense that it's the 10th most reliant on travel and tourism among the 50 states, ranking just behind Wyoming.

WalletHub found that New York is home to the highest share of businesses in the travel and tourism-related food industries at just over 12 percent. That figure is nearly two times higher than in Utah, which is the lowest at 6.9 percent.

Elsewhere on the East Coast, the nation's capital is being heavily impacted as it has the highest travel and tourism consumer spending per capita at $19,869, which is more than 10 times higher than in the lowest state, Ohio at $1,847. Plus, Washington, D.C. has the highest default probability on loans of businesses in the travel and tourism-related accommodations industry at 3.85 percent.

One of several New England states heavily dependent on travel and tourism, New Hampshire ranks third in the nation in terms of highest travel spending per travel employee, trailing on Connecticut and Idaho.

Unsurprisingly, Florida's tourism industry is being hard hit by the COVID-19 outbreak. According to WalletHub, the Sunshine State, which has seen its theme parks and beaches closed, has the third-highest share of travel and tourism industry generated GDP; it ranks fourth for the highest default probability on loans of businesses in the travel and tourism industry and is tied for the highest travel and tourism consumer spending per capita.

Massachusetts has the fourth-highest share of consumer expenditures on travel, based on WalletHub's analysis. Only Hawaii, New Jersey and Connecticut rank higher. Massachusetts also has the fifth-highest travel spending per travel employee and is one of three New England states in the top five of that metric.

To the north of Massachusetts, Vermont is facing an even greater hurdle. It has the fifth-highest share of employment in travel and tourism-related industries. Vermont's position on this list also makes sense when you realize it ranks fifth in terms of both state dependency on travel and tourism and state aggressiveness against COVID-19.

Home to tourist-friendly destinations such as Las Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe, Nevada has the highest share of travel and tourism industry generated GDP; the third-highest share of businesses in the travel and tourism-related industries and the second-highest share of employment in travel and tourism-related industries. What's more, the state is tied for the highest travel and tourism consumer spending per capita, according to WalletHub.

Staying out west, Montana has the fourth-highest share of travel and tourism industry generated GDP and the third-highest share of employment in travel and tourism-related industries. However, it trails neighboring Wyoming and some other states when it comes to the highest travel and tourism consumer spending per capita.

Of the 50 states and D.C., Hawaii has been the most affected by the coronavirus in terms of impact on tourism. After all, the Aloha State is the most dependent on travel and tourism, trailing only Nevada in terms of the highest share of travel and tourism industry generated GDP and tying for first for highest travel and tourism consumer spending per capita. If you're wondering, Arkansas is the state where COVID-19 has had the least impact on tourism thus far, based on WalletHub's metrics. Click here to view the complete rankings.