August 11, 2017
Aug. 21 Solar Eclipse creating tourism boom
WEST LAFAYETTE - Tourists are planning trips to get the best possible views of the Aug. 21 solar eclipse. Jonathon Day, associate professor in hospitality and tourism management, said tourists should embrace the eclipse and their viewing destination.
Travelers are expected to flock to areas from Oregon to South Carolina to see the rare celestial event. The largest city in the eclipse path is Nashville, Tennessee, where tourism officials expect 50,000-70,000 visitors.
Day said people should have fun with the show in the sky. “Eclipses are pretty special phenomenon, and people have been chasing eclipses for hundreds of years,” he said. “Take the time to explore the locations you visit to see the eclipse. It will be a fun and unique part of the summer of 2017. But while there, check out the fun and interesting things that local communities are doing to attract eclipse visitors.”
Jonathon Day is an associate professor in hospitality and tourism management at Purdue University. His research interests are destination branding, sustainable tourism, hospitality practices and responsible travel.
Day has been recognized for his work in public relations, brochures development, training video production, travel trade campaigns, and international marketing. In 2000, he was named one of Travel Agents magazine’s “100 Rising Stars” of destination marketing.
Writer: Howard Hewitt, 765-494-9451, hhewitt@purdue.edu
Source: Jonathon Day, gjday@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: Day is available for interviews.