CLEVELAND — The latest numbers from Downtown Cleveland Alliance show a promising rebound of foot traffic and occupancy in Downtown Cleveland in 2022 compared to the year before. Despite two major snowstorms and the peak of the COVID-19 omicron wave in January and February, there were 1.2 million more visits in the first two months of 2022 than the same time last year. The NBA All-Star weekend helped fuel entertainment and retail activity in February.
Foot traffic
January and February are typically the slowest months for activity in Downtown Cleveland— a trend consistent with downtowns across the United States, according to Downtown Cleveland Alliance.
There were over 3.5 million people who came to Downtown Cleveland in January and February 2022. Thanks to NBA All-Star Weekend, February brought 13,000 more daily visitors than in January, as well a 50% increase in activity since February 2021 and a 72% recovery compared to February 2020.
Daily foot track increased in February 2022 compared to the same time in 2021. Numbers nearly doubled on the weekends. The weekdays also showed a strong increase.
Retail and entertainment
To measure overall retail traffic, Downtown Cleveland Alliance looked at two major downtown hubs. The first was the retail hub which included Tower City Center, Historic Euclid Avenue and the 5th Street Arcades. The second looked at entertainment hubs in Warehouse District, Flats East Bank, East 4th Street and Playhouse Square.
Both retail and entertainment hubs saw over 1.7 million visitors in February 2022, which is about a 40% increase compared to the same time last year.
“Like overall traffic patterns, January and February are the weaker months of the year in general so starting the year off at such a high point is very promising,” DCA said in the report.
Hospitality
Visits to hotels in January were similar to December 2019 and February 2020, reaching just over 105,000 total visits.
In January 2022, local tourism saw a 64% recovery and national tourism came back in at 86%. Two difference metrics were used to observe tourism recovery relative to the same period in 2019: Local tourism, defined as visits made by those living 51-150 miles from Downtown Cleveland; and National Tourism, measuring those traveling greater than 150 miles.
Downtown Cleveland Alliance said local tourism slumped after December, presumably due to holiday shopping and the peak of the omicron variant.
See the full report below from Downtown Cleveland that tracks transit usage, employment, foot traffic and hospitality.
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