Cape Cod bracing for big hit to summer tourism season

CAPE COD, Mass. — For a region so reliant on tourism, Cape Cod business owners fear the impact of COVID-19 on the economy might be felt long after the stay-at-home advisory is lifted in Massachusetts.

“It’s our livelihood,” Cape Cod Creamery owner Alan Davis said of tourism, “for the vast majority of us down here.”

Davis closed all three of his ice cream shops, including the year-round store and both seasonal locations that would have opened by now, in response to the global pandemic. Originally, the year-round store that serves sandwiches remained open with Davis’ goal of making payroll, but business dropped so drastically that they weren’t making enough to cover it. He said he no longer felt like it was appropriate for him to remain open and felt a responsibility to help stop the spread of the virus as quickly as possible.

“It’s this constant feeling of the unknown,” he said. "Do I make ice cream now, not knowing when we’re going to open? Plus, by not being open, you don’t have the resources to purchase cream to make the ice cream.”

Last summer, Cape Cod dealt with the fallout of a shark attack and multiple other sightings, as well as a damaging tornado that also interrupted vacation season. The long-term cumulative effect on tourism is concerning to business owners, Davis said.

Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce CEO Wendy Northcross told Boston 25 News that she expects the Cape to take a very deep hit. In addition to hospitality, other service industries that cater to the region’s retirement population, like financial advisors and health care, will also suffer, she said.

“The whole summer season will depend on when the ‘all-clear’ is called,” Northcross said. "[It] will depend on who remains open [and] who had the reserves to get through the pandemic time.”

For a sign of hope for the Cape, Northcross cited national travel surveys that show Americans are eager to eat out at a bar or restaurant, take a vacation without flying, and visit a beach when the stay-at-home advisories end. All of those factors favor Cape Cod’s reemergence, she said.

"The Cape is a beautiful place,” Davis echoed as his emotions overcame him. “All I would do is encourage people to come back…and enjoy the Cape for the beauty that it is.”

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RESOURCES:

- Massachusetts Coronavirus Information

- Boston Coronavirus Information

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