Let the Super Bowl be blind: Americans 'go big' for 'solar eclipse tourism'

Edited by: Gianna Merat

For those hoping to catch a glimpse of the total solar eclipse in April, there are endless options. Six Flags Over Texas is hosting a “Solar Coaster” viewing party. Holland America has a 22-day Solar Eclipse cruise. After completing an all-encompassing flight, Delta Air Lines added a second flight, promising sweeping views from “very large” windows.

But almost everything was sold out.

The total solar eclipse, which will be visible in more than a dozen states, fuels a small spending spree across the country. Hotels are booked, campsites are full, and no rental cars can be found anywhere near the April 8 event. States including Arkansas and Indiana are anticipating record numbers in travel and spending.

“This will likely be the largest tourism event we've ever seen,” said Michael Bacow, an economist at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, who expects a $105 million statewide windfall.

It's also rare. A total solar eclipse – where the Moon completely covers the Sun for a few minutes – is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many. It has been 99 years since New York has had a single incident, and 218 years in Ohio. This time, the path of totality will extend from Texas to Maine, covering parts of several states, including Missouri, Kentucky and Pennsylvania, along the way.

Support for these local economies can be significant. Texas, which is expected to see the largest influx of visitors, could earn $428 million from the eclipse, according to Ray Perryman, an economist in Waco. Johnson County expects up to $25 million in additional revenue, while Rochester, New York, expects about $10 million.

Americans have emerged from the pandemic willing to pay, especially for memorable experiences. A total solar eclipse is the ultimate example, with it looming within the next two decades for most of the United States. In total, up to 3.7 million people are expected to travel the path of totality.

Indiana is preparing to welcome a record 500,000 visitors, more than seven times the attendance at the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis.

Government transportation, natural resources and homeland security officials have been meeting for months to iron out logistical matters such as housing availability and traffic plans. Some schools are closed on that day and trash collection will be suspended.

Thousands of miles away, something similar applies to a ski resort in Vermont. Jay Peak's 900 rooms have been sold out since last spring, with the first eclipse-related reservations starting up to five years ago. About 8,000 people are expected to join the resort's festivities, which start at $365 for two people.

A band will play Pink Floyd's “Dark Side of the Moon” once the eclipse begins. A wedding for 50 people is also being prepared at the top of the mountain.

The Planetary Society, a non-profit organization, is hosting a 1,000-person camp at a wedding venue in Fredericksburg, Texas. There will be talks on astronomy in the glass chapel and telescopes and games in the garden. Tickets cost $325, and the list of participants so far includes people from nearly all 50 states, as well as Finland, Japan and Spain.

Julianne Taylor, 66, is determined to see the eclipse, and has booked hotel rooms in three states, just in case. The retired nurse, who lives in northwest Indiana, plans to drive to Arkansas with her husband, sister, adult son and their dachshund, Dieter. But if he can't make it or the weather is bad, he also books rooms closer to home, in Indianapolis and Findlay, Ohio.

Taylor saw the partial eclipse in 2017, but she wishes she had witnessed the total eclipse. “At that point, I said, 'If we're still alive, we'll go to the next one,'” he said. “This may be our last chance at life, so we will make an effort.”

Taylor spent about $2,500 on hotel reservations, and says she could barely contain her excitement. But her husband was less enthusiastic: “He's not interested at all.” “Why should we go? We could go somewhere more fun than Arkansas,” he complains.

Either way, Taylor is turned on. He searches satellite maps to find the best viewing areas and fills the Yeti's cooler with water, fruit and cheese sticks in case it's on the road for a while.

“If we lose it, it won't be for lack of trying,” he said.

However, while Americans are going crazy over the eclipse, “real” Americans say they are not looking at the sky while the eclipse is ongoing. These are the Navajo Indians, the second largest Indian tribe in America after the Cherokee tribe.

The word for eclipse in Navajo is “to eat the sun.” It is believed in Navajo tradition that the sun dies during a solar eclipse and that it is an intimate event between the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon.

They say people should stay home, indifferent during the dark season. There is no eating, drinking, sleeping, weaving, or any other activity, as the moment is considered “sacred.”

“The moon and the sun are sacred as they were created, and you should not look at the moon or stare at it for a long time, as it affects your mind and body. Especially for a woman who is carrying a child. Because when there is an eclipse, whether lunar or solar, it is a sacred time where the sun And the moon and the earth are kind of intimate when they align. It's a sacred thing that happens in the sky that we shouldn't look at.

With information from The Washington Post and The Arizona Republic