OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — "In the first four months of this year we are $8 million more than last year, which was record-breaking, so I think the streak is continuing," said Deborah Ward, executive director of Visit Omaha.
Ward said 2022 was really a rebound year for Omaha, with hotel revenue last year up $51 million.
"It's twofold, seeing Omaha do so well, hearing that we are having a record-breaking year, but also from a hotel standpoint we really get to showcase the city," said Shane Lonowski, general manger of The Farnam hotel.
He says they too are on track for a record-breaking year.
"We have seen our reservations continue to increase and also our catering and group business continue to grow, currently we are seeing about 10% increase in revenue year-over-year," Lonowski said.
During an average year, 12.7 million people visit Omaha and while they are here they spend about $1.2 billion on hotels, restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores and attractions.
"Of course, Berkshire Hathaway is a wonderful start to the true tourism season and then today we have the Big Ten baseball tournament, this weekend we have a big Midwest basketball tournament going on," Ward said.
And of course, the College World Series is just weeks away, and The Farnam already has a plan in place.
"We have additional managers coming in over College World Series, just to support the hotel and the team members just to make sure we are set and ready," Lonowski said.
But Omaha is attractive for smaller events and meetings too.
Based on independent research, Visit Omaha is expecting a busy summer for hotels and tourism.
"We are projecting this summer to be about 10% higher in occupancy, and in demand and in revenue over last year, which again was record-breaking," Ward said.
Visit Omaha targets its advertising regionally, in cities like Des Moines, Kansas City, Sioux Falls, Chicago and Minneapolis. They said 600,000 more people visited last year than the year before from those five cities.
Download our apps today for all of our latest coverage.
Get the latest news and weather delivered straight to your inbox.
