Hotel room demand in Pittsburg area returns to pre-pandemic trends

PITTSBURG, Kan. – For the fourth time in five years, hotel room demand in Crawford County, Kansas has surpassed 100,000 rooms for the year, with 2022 hitting a record high of 109,750 rooms. The county also surpassed 10,000 rooms in a month six times during 2022 – doubling the previous high.

Since 2015, room demand had been increasing each year until the 2020 pandemic. Demand reached 106,000 rooms in 2021, but was still just shy of the previous record for the entire year – 107,743 in 2019.

Explore Crawford County Marketing and Communications Manager, Chris Wilson, credits several things going on at once for the trend in demand.

“There have been several construction projects the past couple of years, like the new Fed Ex building south of Pittsburg and highway construction,” says Wilson. “It’s also safe to say regular business travel has returned. While several sporting events were held in 2021, many did not have spectators. That changed in 2022.”

“Plus, leisure travel is seeing a bump as Baby Boomers retire,” he added. “Nationwide, there are around 10,000 new retirees each day. They are looking for things to see and do, often off the beaten path. While those numbers are small, they are growing and are a part of the equation.”

Crawford County is the home of Southeast Kansas Fried Chicken, the Gorilla Capital of the World, and is an angler’s paradise. It is a small college town in a central location, with the best of both urban and rural. Find out what else is happening at www.ExploreCrawfordCounty.com.