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WILKES-BARRE &mdash; The Luzerne County Convention and Visitors Bureau Thursday reviewed its financials, including projects for the remainder of 2020 and estimated the agency could lose as much as $435,000 in hotel tax revenue in a worst-case scenario.
				Executive Director Theodore Wampole has been preparing for the possibility that the hotel tax &mdash; his office&rsquo;s primary revenue stream &mdash; would be sharply reduced.
				At its virtual meeting Thursday, Wampole shared the information.
				Wampole said the hotel tax revenue was only about 30% of last years&rsquo; collection in April, and he said he does not expect May and June to be much better.
				&ldquo;The subsequent months will also see reduced revenue, for certain,&rdquo; Wampole said.
				As a result, Wampoole said the agency has taken an axe to its budgeted expenses for the remainder of the year, cutting almost $320,000 combined from all categories, including:
				&#8226; Promotions
				&#8226; Advertising
				&#8226; Events sponsorships
				&#8226; Memberships
				&#8226; Travel (eliminated for the remainder of 2020)
				&rdquo;This still projects to an estimated budget shortfall of about $115,000, which we will cover from our accumulated surplus,&rdquo; Wampole said. &ldquo;We continue to review our fragile financial picture several times a week and update where necessary. We have cut or substantially reduced expenses in every possible category, so no one area is immune from the cuts.&rdquo;
				Wampole said he hopes that the agency will be able to secure some type of disaster-relief funding as time goes on, which he said will help.
				Wampole also said the staff continues to do its part to promote the county, taking part in several initiatives, including a joint marketing venture with DiscoverNEPA and the Lackawanna County Visitors Bureau.
				He said several staff members during May and early June were assigned to help with the Primary Election.
				Wampole said the anti-littering initiative is ongoing and on Thursday he received a shipment of 300 yard signs carrying anti-littering messages designed by students in Luzerne County from a contest held earlier this year.
				&rdquo;The message we are trying to get across is that not only is Luzerne County a safe place to do business, but a clean place as well,&rdquo; Wampole said.
				Wampole said tourism in Luzerne County, according to an Oxford International Study, was almost a $1 billion industry, supporting over 7,000 jobs.
				&ldquo;It has taken quite a hit with this pandemic, but while we may be down, we are certainly not out, and we will come back better than ever,&rdquo; Wampole said.
				Wampole ended the meeting with a teaser for the board members and for the county.
				&ldquo;Stay tuned for a major announcement on Monday at a press conference to be held at the Millennium Portal around noon,&rdquo; was all Wampole would reveal.
				Wampole also discussed the Keystone State Games that were canceled for the summer competition. He said there is a plan to hold a &ldquo;hybrid&rdquo; Keystone State Games in the fall.
				&ldquo;We are looking at how we can help with that effort,&rdquo; he said.
				Wampole also reported that the 2020 Census returns are improving, and he said he and the staff are continuing to get the word out, encouraging people to respond.

County tourism chief looking to weather the storm of lost revenue