Study: Eclipse brought an estimated 616K people to Nebraska

A study says the solar eclipse brought an estimated 616,000 out-of-state visitors to Nebraska. (Photo by Takeshi Kuboki/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

LINCOLN, Neb. — A study says the solar eclipse brought an estimated 616,000 out-of-state visitors to Nebraska.

The study by Dean Runyan and Associates and Destination Analysts Inc. was done for the Nebraska Tourism Commission. The study says more than 708,000 people travelled to watch the Aug. 21 event, and about 87 per cent of them didn’t live in Nebraska.

The economic impact was estimated at 7 million.

Nebraska Tourism executive director John Ricks says officials hope the travellers “were inspired to share stories about their Nebraska experience and to visit again.”