Louisville convention bookings suggest travelers predicting end to latest COVID surge

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - January winds blowing in from the Ohio River might bring a wintery chill to downtown Louisville, but at the Galt House, managers are already enjoying a very welcomed thaw in business.

“We’re expecting one of the strongest summers we can remember,” Galt House Marketing VP Skip James said. “Number one, we’ve got a lot of leisure travelers that are already taking to the roads. And our convention business is back.”

A surge in business and leisure travel is moving in as the surge in COVID cases begins to wane.

Looking weeks and months into the future, an optimistic public is on the move. Many already reserving meeting space and booking hotel rooms.

“We’re forecasting double the number of events that we’re going to host in ‘22 over ‘21,” Louisville Tourism Destination Services VP Zack Davis said. “So we’re looking at about 500 events that we’ll host in 2022, which is awesome.”

Optimism is supported by encouraging COVID numbers.

The Louisville Metro Department of Health and Wellness currently reports the fewest ICU patients since the year began, the biggest weekly drop in confirmed cases since Omicron hit and the lowest number of weekly deaths since July.

Doctors, however, remain cautious. They are wary of the possible emergence of new variants.

“Dealing with this virus, it has fooled us a couple of times,” UofL Health Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Mark Burns said. “When we’re going in the right direction, we think we’re heading to the end of this, and then, boom, something else comes up.”

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