SAVANNAH, Ga. () – Imelda may not be making a direct hit, but it’s already casting a shadow over the Low Country and Coastal Empire. Up and down the coast, businesses and travelers are bracing for some disruptions.

Beyond the rain and wind, storms like Imelda tell a bigger story, about how even minor weather events ripple through the local tourism economy. In Savannah, tourism drives more than $3 billion into the local economy each year, but storms can drain that momentum fast. spoke with Visit Savannah about how even a tropical storm can force cancellations, change bookings, and send ripple effects through restaurants, hotels, and residents’ paychecks.

Imelda is expected to bring rain and possible flooding to Georgia and South Carolina’s coastal cities. Despite the storm’s intensity, tourism leaders say the financial impact can still be significant. Visit Savannah officials say travelers, especially those booking weekend getaways, often cancel plans at the first sign of stormy weather. That means hotels hold empty rooms, and workers dependent on tips may not see much. While conventions and large groups tend to be more committed, even they sometimes
Adjust if travel becomes too risky.

“People panic too quickly. Leisure travelers tend to bail out quickly and cancel their hotel reservations. And then we also have to think about conventions and meetings in groups. There are a lot of ramifications that we have to consider in advance,” explained Joseph Marinelli, the President & CEO of Visit Savannah.

Although Savannah tourism is known to bounce back quickly after storms pass, every cancellation leaves an economic gap that businesses – and their employees – feel immediately.

“The overall impact is huge because if visitors don’t come, that means that employees in service and hospitality and anyone in the tourism industry, potentially can’t work or don’t make tips… leisure travelers are the most fickle because they have the most flexibility,” said Marinelli.

also reached out to the airport and so far, they say they don’t see much of a change in the number of people flying in, and it seemed busy all day yesterday.