The recent increase in travel is welcome news for the industry, but many worry whether business travel will return when vacations wind down after Labor Day.

The Indianapolis Marriott Downtown is the last hotel hosting NCCA men's basketball teams. It now looks to the future of how the 2021 tourism and convention season will define this year's business outlook.

After quickly grinding to a halt last spring, officials say Indiana's hotels and restaurants are slowly recovering.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association, estimates that nearly 700 of Indianas 1,042 hotels will permanently close within the next six months if they don't obtain additional funding.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the hospitality industry hard over the last few months with a recent survey showing 41 percent of Hoosier restaurants could close in the next six months.