All signs point to what could be a banner summer for tourism in the Ocean State, at least in coastal communities that cater to beachgoers.
But for the state as a whole, a strong summer will not be enough to erase the devastation wrought by the pandemic on the tourism industry.
As this week’s cover story reports, tourism officials and businesses in Newport and on Block Island are primarily concerned with being able to meet an expected summer influx of tourists eager to escape pandemic restrictions.
But there’s much more uncertainty in Providence and other communities away from the coast that count on restaurants and other year-round attractions to lure visitors.
The state has yet to do a full economic analysis of last year’s tourism losses. The anecdotal evidence of business restrictions, layoffs and a sharp decline in visitors since COVID-19 emerged in March 2020 suggests the losses will be steep.
Tourism officials have understandably adopted a bunker mentality over the past year focused on immediate and near-term goals. But a full recovery will require a return to coordinated, longer-term planning between state and local tourism leaders.
The first step will be R.I. Commerce Corp.’s expected hiring of a full-time chief marketing officer. The state last unveiled a new tourism marketing campaign in 2017 that included videos and ads selling Rhode Island as “Fun-Sized.”
The new hire needs to hit the ground running with a fresh marketing approach that will help energize local tourism leaders.
