Nearly all of Downtown Pittsburgh visitors have returned, says report

Downtown Pittsburgh’s transition out of the pandemic has been bumpy with empty office buildings, increases in vagrancy, and lunch spots closing up. A new report, however, shows things might be on the upswing.

The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP) released data Thursday that shows 1.7 million visitors came to Downtown in July, which represents a 97% recovery rate from 2019, before the pandemic.

For overall recovery — which includes visitors, office workers, residents, and others — Downtown saw an average of 95,000 people per day. PDP said that represents an 81% recovery compared to pre-pandemic levels.

PDP president Jeremy Waldrup said that patrons for cultural amenities and events have led the rebound. Local tourism rates have increased 116% compared to 2019, and out of state tourism is almost back to its pre-pandemic levels at a 94% recovery rate.

“Events and visitors continue to lead the recovery efforts and continue to show that Downtown remains a thriving summer destination,” said Waldrup. “These numbers not only validate the collective efforts of so many, but also signal a truly exciting trajectory for the Golden Triangle as a social, cultural, and economic powerhouse for our region.”

Office worker recovery is still lagging behind, but are still at their highest rate since the pandemic. PDP says 63% of weekday workers have returned to Downtown.

“Downtown is built for people, and it’s incredible to see more of them back Downtown, enjoying the restaurants, retail, art, and sporting events, and returning to the office,” said Waldrup.

Conflict has arisen between business heads and city leaders about how to best manage Downtown’s recovery. Business leaders argued a stronger emphasis on public safety will bring workers back Downtown, even as work-from-home policies remain popular and widespread.

While violent crime rates are actually down compared to pre-pandemic levels, instances of vagrancy, public drug use and shootings are up.

City leaders have responded by increased police presence and started clean-up efforts and the Downtown Ambassadors programs.

Maria Montaño, communications director for Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, said the administration is “incredibly excited” about the growth in visitors Downtown is experiencing.

“Downtown is the heart and soul of our city and having a vibrant central core is critical to the success of our entire region,” she said.

PDP noted that July’s numbers are even better than June’s, which were boosted by 400,000 visitors over a two-day span for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.

The July increase was boosted by the success of the Picklesburgh’s festival, according to PDP. The PDP-sponsored event was held on July-21-23 and moved to a larger location on Boulevard of the Allies. Picklesburgh attracted more than 200,000 people this year, doubling its attendance compared to last year, officials said.

Montaño said she expects visitors to continue to grow and expects to see a good turnout for the fall season and Light Up Night in November. She acknowledged the lopsided success of visitors for cultural events and restaurants, some of which are seeing record-breaking numbers. She said bringing more office workers back on the weekdays will be a harder lift and will take longer term solutions like office-to-residential conversion.

“We are still seeing a struggle with return to office space, and what that looks like in a post-pandemic world,” she said.