After a very tough year with the pandemic, things are back on the upswing in East Texas and folks are starting to visit our city in droves.

According to information we received from "Visit Tyler", tourism is on the rise in Tyler as spring begins in our area, which is normally a great time to visit thanks to lots of events including the sold out Red Dirt BBQ and Music Festival among others.

In the month of March, according to Visit Tyler, an increase of visitors to the visitor center and 80 percent occupancy in hotels across the city are signs of growing tourism in Tyler. This is significant bounce back compared to last year when hotel occupancy fell to its lowest level of 33% in April 2020.

A study by UT Tyler and The Hibbs Institute reported that nationwide, last year, the hotel industry in the U.S. experienced its worst year on record. National occupancy rates fell dramatically to 44% on a yearly average, a trend that was reflected in Tyler.  Although occupancy returned to normal in August at around 60% and stayed consistent for a few months, occupancy figures went down again in November to 55%.

Visit Tyler reported that most of the rooms occupied throughout that time was from healthcare workers, they are seeing more diverse visitors to the area with the return of sporting events, leisure and business travelers in the area.

In short, it looks like things are getting back to normal so tell your folks to come on out for a visit!

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