LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – COVID-19 chipped away this year at the tourism and entertainment industry, but local industry leaders found ways to stay relevant.
Jeff Maul with the Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau says his staff had to get creative due to the pandemic. “We really dug in and started to do a lot of features on safety spotlights. What was our industry doing to keep people safe, when and if they were open?” Maul said.
During the year, the restaurant industry had to think of ways to survive. “We’ve done curbside, and we’ve done take out,” Maul said. Local tourism leaders even encouraged people to use Lincoln hotels, as part of a stay-cation. “Hotels in the city of Lincoln have struggled greatly,” Maul said. “But our hotels have done everything they can to remain open and offer a lot of different opportunities for people to distance and do it safely.
Lied Center executive director Bill Stephan says his organization moved early on to provide on-line performing arts programs. “We had weekly concerts starting at the end of March through July, of Nebraska artists as well as some national artists,” Stephan said. “In addition, we were the first place in Lincoln, Nebraska to have a Broadway or off-Broadway production since the pandemic, including Broadway. We opened our season with Newsical the Musical.” Still, the pandemic is having a big impact on the Lied Center schedule. But, the staff continues to share safety protocols with other venues around the country. “Being one of the first theaters to re-open successfully and safely, we’ve had a lot of theaters across the nation look to us for how you do it successfully,” Stephan said. “So, we’ve been really pleased to share our procedures and policies that we’ve developed to help other theaters across the nation be able to re-open.”
Local tourism leaders in Our Town Lincoln tell us that the ability to have teamwork and to be inventive, are a few of the reasons why the tourism industry has remained viable even during the pandemic. “I think Lincoln did a good job of doing it right,” Maul said. “And the reason we did it right was the participation of our Mayor’s office, and the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department that were not quick to say no to requests to open up when at all possible and do it safely.”
Tourism and entertainment is a big part of Our Town Lincoln. “The USA Roller Sports National Championships that we bring in over the summer months mean up to $7 million,” Maul said. “Other events that we recruit to the city mean $10 million per event per weekend. So those dollars add up quickly in a pre-pandemic year. You can see there the impact that we’ve lost.” In the face of the pandemic, local leaders are reminding people that tourism and entertainment didn’t go away. “It took a brief break, and we are trying our best right now to position ourselves for a rebound,” Maul said.
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