Short-term loss estimated to be $400 to $500 million in first 90 days of COVID-19 pandemic

 

Monterey, Calif., March 24, 2020 – Nationwide, the travel industry has been dramatically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic due to travel restrictions and event cancelations and postponements. Monterey County has been feeling these impacts since February – first with international visitation and now with domestic travel. The Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau (Monterey County CVB) has been working with tourism industry organizations and the local hospitality community to begin determining the overall impact to the County.

 

The Monterey County hospitality community generates nearly $3 billion in annual visitor spending and employs 25,000 people. Given recent events, these numbers will be drastically impacted as the community sees over a dozen hotel closings and significant lay-offs. Currently the destination faces an estimated loss of $400 to $500 million in visitor spending in the first 90 days of this crisis. This is a rough, point-in-time estimate as situational factors escalate daily. “Our community and industry have never seen anything like this,” said

 

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Monterey, Calif., March 17, 2020 - As the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, Monterey County’s hospitality and tourism industry organizations are working together to collectively monitor developments and impact; share resources and ensure consistent communication with businesses, hospitality workers, residents and elected officials; and, at the appropriate time, move in a unified fashion to recover as thoughtfully and quickly as possible. 

 

Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau (Monterey County CVB), Monterey County Hospitality Association (MCHA), Visit Carmel, and Chambers of Commerce throughout the County have unified to guide the industry through these extraordinary times towards a complete and robust recovery. 

 

Click here for full press release.

 

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To assist you with talking points and additional resources, please see the following links:

 

 

AIRLINE UPDATES:
Many U.S. airlines have announced schedule changes, reductions in flights, re-deployment of larger international aircraft to domestic routes, and other changes. Refer travelers to airline websites for details.

 

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Message from the Monterey County Emergency Operations Center:

 

The Monterey County Emergency Operations Center is conducting a survey to get a better understanding of the impacts of COIVD-19 on the local economy in Monterey County. This information is pertinent for the county to qualify for Small Business Administration assistance.

 

The link for the survey is: www.surveymonkey.com/r/MTHBNKC

Please forward this email to your community members. All for profit local businesses should complete this survey as soon as possible, for faster qualification.

 

For questions, email Luna Mohammad at Mohammadl@co.monterey.ca.us

 

Resources for Small Business:

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FOR A LIST OF OPEN MCCVB MEMBER BUSINESSES, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

 

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Visit California continues to closely monitor the coronavirus (COVID-2019) outbreak. Their global agency network, alongside the Sacramento team, are working with industry partners and Governor Newsom’s senior administration officials to gather and distribute the most accurate and timely information. Visit California continues to recommend a fact-based response as the outbreak develops.

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CalTravel has composed a LETTER on behalf of our state's travel and tourism industry to educate Congress on our contributions to the economy, as well as to amplify U.S. Travel's recent COVID-19 small business asks. Some of you may have signed on to a similar letter through U.S Travel.  Take a look at what Cal Travel is doing.

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Tourism is both lucrative and critical to Monterey County's economy. It creates jobs and paychecks, fills restaurants and shops, sells attraction tickets, fuels critically important tax revenues and improves the quality of life for residents. In the 2018-19 fiscal year, 4.6 million visitors to Monterey County generated $2.98 billion in visitor spending and kept over 25,000 people employed. Hear from some of those directly impacted by Monterey County tourism has on their lives.