State Representative Mathew Muratore

The Joint Legislative Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development held a hearing in April to hear industry leaders on their perspectives on the impact of Covid-19 on tourism. We’ve heard from executives: Mass Office on Tourism, Mass Cultural Council, Mass Lodging, Massport, New England Museum Association, Mass Convention Center Authority, Mass Cultural Council, Mass Humanities, Mass Live Events Coalition, and Mass Restaurant Association. Unsurprisingly, the pandemic has had a devastating impact on every industry we’ve heard of.

We learned that Massachusetts was one of the top five states hardest hit by travel spending losses, ranking 4th after Hawaii, DC, and New York. The lost travel expenses in Massachusetts since January 2020 were estimated at $ 15.1 billion. That’s a loss of $ 234 million in local taxes, $ 451 million in state taxes, and $ 1.15 million in federal taxes. According to the Mass Office of Travel and Tourism, Massachusetts has historically welcomed nearly 30 million domestic visitors, 1.8 million foreign visitors, and 640,000 Canadian visitors annually. In 2019, that meant $ 24.9 billion in direct spending, $ 1.6 billion in state and local taxes, 155,500 jobs, and $ 5.9 billion in wages.

According to the Mass Lodging Association, Massachusetts has 900 lodging establishments with 80,000 rooms. While hotel occupancy is slowly returning, it is still well below the pre-pandemic level. Preliminary estimates for 2020 indicate a reduction of at least 50% from 2019, which would translate into spending of $ 13 billion, $ 800 million in state and local taxes, and nearly 80,000 jobs. The MA Restaurant Association said alfresco dining, takeaway meals and alcohol helped, but also reported large losses and restaurant closings.

The transport industry also suffered. Prior to the pandemic, Logan’s passenger traffic grew 5% per year and should reach 45 million in 2020. 30 international non-stop flights were added and international passengers grew by 10%. They estimated a complete recovery of air traffic in 3-5 years. Flynn Cruiseport in Boston served a record 402,000 cruise passengers in 2019. The forecast of 440,000 passengers for 2020 was not realized after all cruises were canceled.

The New England Museum Association reported a financial impact of $ 1.2 billion for Massachusetts, a loss of 16,549 jobs, and a loss of $ 80.2 million in state and local taxes. The Mass Cultural Council reported that 981 nonprofits and municipal cultural organizations have lost $ 588,334,079 in revenue since March 2020, while 2,951 artists, teaching artists, and scholars / humanists reported $ 30,403,616 in lost income.

Prior to the pandemic, tourism was number 1 in Plymouth County and number 3 in Massachusetts. Tourism and hospitality have been hit hard and recovery forecasts vary, but some estimate two years for domestic travel and four years for international travelers. Lake Plymouth President / CEO Lea Filson said Plymouth County’s tourism spending was $ 570 million as early as 2012 and has grown significantly every year since.

The effects were also devastating for the city of Plymouth. The expectation of large crowds from all over the world arriving for Plymouth’s 400th was not met. The impact on all businesses is immeasurable. On the plus side, the 10 years of preparation have enabled Plymouth to recover faster than other communities. The millions of dollars invested in advertising, infrastructure, T-Wharf, Pilgrim Memorial State Park, a new maritime facility, and port dredging to accommodate small cruise lines and other boats make Plymouth ready and welcoming to oceangoers and land travelers alike .

Plymouth has so much to offer with its beautiful coastline, beaches, ponds, history, nature trails, restaurants, breweries, wineries, hotels, museums, music venues, arts centers, cultural districts and boat trips. Marketing campaigns up to the 400th year put Plymouth and its unique variety of offers as a travel destination in the spotlight. Potential tourists and locals now know that historic Plymouth has so much more to offer.

Tourism recovery efforts have been made both locally and nationwide, with efforts focused on doubling down on marketing and campaigns promoting local travel, shopping and dining, such as the My Local MA campaign, the State of Wonder photo contest and the Let’s Go Out restaurant campaign. Our Regional Tourism Council, Lake Plymouth, has worked hard to promote Plymouth. Billboards will be seen along the coast from New Hampshire to Rhode Island attracting people to Plymouth. As more people get vaccinated, the comfort of going out is likely to start on the spot. This will help support Plymouth, Plymouth Counties and Massachusetts recovery and economic growth until international travelers travel more comfortably again.

For more information on what is happening in the City of Plymouth and Plymouth County, please visit: https://seeplymouth.com

For Massachusetts, visit the MA Office of Travel and Tourism websites: www.lovemylocalma.com and www.visitma.com For the July and August photo contest, go to and submit photos to win a getaway: www.visitma.com/state-of-wonder-contest/.

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