The Park City Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau issued a letter to its members addressing the impacts of COVID-19.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Utah Department of Health and Summit County Health Department announced the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Summit County. Shortly before, the Park City Chamber/Bureau addressed its members with a letter from the county health department, encouraging business owners to take special precautions with the health of their employees over the next few months.
With about a month left in the ski season, Park City Chamber/Bureau CEO Bill Malone is looking at the impacts the COVID-19 outbreak has had on business. In Southern Utah, Malone says international travel is down. In Park City, though, Malone is mostly noticing impacts to summer conferences.
“We're looking at a scenario of cancellations as it relates to this month, the month of March, and then we're looking more so on the issue of group travel and corporate group business for this summer,” Malone said.
At the same time, Malone says there’s not one trend the chamber has noticed with group business. He says some lodging properties have actually gained business from groups who had planned to hold conferences internationally but have rescheduled at a domestic location. And some groups, Malone says, aren’t cancelling their plans altogether but moving their events to later in the summer and fall.
Malone hasn’t heard much from restaurants in town. He says leisure businesses have seen some cancellations related to group activities.
“It goes back to a group cancellation, where you may see cancellations on could be anything from a bobsled ride to an outdoor activity with a group, and we're seeing some of that is being cancelled," Malone said. "Also, from the fact of if it is a group that's coming, the group may be smaller than what was originally anticipated.”
As far as the outlook for the rest of the season, Malone says the chamber has noticed an impact there as well.
“What was appearing to be a winter that was possibly going to be up a couple of percent, we think it's going to be either flat or possibly down, just in terms of I would say some cancellations but some business is not being booked right now for the rest of the ski season.”
Thursday afternoon, the state and county health departments announced a second case of COVID-19 in Summit County, an out-of-state traveler who is younger than 60.
