Cape Cod counts on tourism to in 2021
Uncertainty remains, but businesses are optimistic
FALMOUTH, Mass. – During a typical summer, Falmouth Museums on the Green, home to the Falmouth Historical Society, brims with visitors looking to sneak a peek inside its many historical homes, gather for weddings or explore its many exhibits.
But the COVID-19 pandemic changed all of that. The museums remained closed for 2020, moving their speaker series online.
“For obvious reasons, it has been a year to remember, to forget,” said Mark Schmidt, the museums’ executive director.
The museums were set to open when the state allowed for Phase 3 businesses to do so, Schmidt said. With hand sanitizer available, plexiglass barriers and arrows in place to lead visitors, they were ready to go by the end of July.
But in the end, the decision was made not to reopen for the season, Schmidt said. The museums mostly are run by 200 volunteers, many of them older, and they didn’t want to run the risk of exposure to the coronavirus, he said. They also didn’t want to cram people into historic houses.
Instead, the board of directors decided to wait to reopen until the COVID-19 vaccines arrived, Schmidt said.
“There is no question it took a toll on us,” Schmidt said. “We were fortunate that our members were supportive in their giving.”
With funding in place for this year, Schmidt said, he believes the museum will make it until next summer. But he said that if 2021 and 2022 are anything like 2020, it will be hard to sustain.
“We will go forward with the fact that 2021 can’t be as bad as 2020,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt is optimistic that tourists will return to Falmouth and the rest of the cape next summer.
“I do think that there is a basic fatigue of being inside.”
But “I don’t think masks are going away anytime soon,” he said.
Despite the pandemic, the cape had the best performance in the state for tourism this past summer. Wendy Northcross, CEO of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, said the cape can expect the same this year.
“I know it is so hard to look into the crystal ball these days,” Northcross said. “There is some good news coming our way.”
As vaccines begin to roll out across the country, many people are flocking to the cape to escape the cities and visit their second homes, Northcross said. Plus, people who haven’t been traveling want to do so, she said.
If they can make it through the winter, Northcross said, businesses in the tourism industry have reason to be somewhat optimistic.
Now that the cape has survived a
summer under COVID-19 restrictions, businesses understand the constraints and can plan better, Northcross said.
“I am a lot more optimistic than I think I should be,” she said when asked how tourism will go this spring and summer. “There are certainly challenges to get there.”
The ability to make it to next summer may depend on how much stimulus money makes its way to local businesses, Northcross said.
“Nobody knows how long this is going to go,” she said. “More stimulus is going to help bridge the gap.”
Tourism is fickle, said Elizabeth Wurfbain, executive director of Hyannis Main Street Business Improvement District. There are many hurdles to overcome, she said, including weather and financial stability, even in a normal year.
The cape was lucky last year because the weather allowed for people to eat outside, Wurfbain said.
“We don’t know what the spring is going to look like,” she said. “No one has a magic ball. Even as the pandemic has some solutions with the vaccines, how long is it going to take to work out? When is it going to go back to when people want to spend?”
With tourist-driven businesses in peril, Wurfbain said, there needs to be support for the unemployed workers and assistance for those businesses. But like Northcross, she is optimistic about tourism coming back this year.
“I do see it doing well because Cape Cod is poised so well as a beautiful place to live,” Wurfbain said. “It is not super expensive, very wholesome and easy to get to. But I am cautious.”
The Osterville Historical Museum,
which holds weddings, rehearsal dinners and large fundraising events throughout the year, had to rethink much of what it did last year.
“I think that this year for everybody was such a different year, and we really focused on the things that we could do instead of all the things that we couldn’t do,” said Jennifer Williams, the museum’s executive director. “I think that made all the difference.”
Beginning in March, the museum helped to set up a virtual farmers market, allowing fresh local produce to be delivered to residents on Cape Cod. When summer approached, the traditional farmers market set up at the museum was opened as well, with social distancing and guidelines set up on the 2-acre property.
“We had to twist a few other things and morph as we needed,” Williams said.
Instead of holding a large, in-person fundraising event, museum staff moved its traditional art online, selling work from local artists, Williams said.
As winter approached, the annual Festival of Trees show was moved to the historic Crosby Yacht Yard, where large bay doors could open for better air circulation. Eleven decorated trees lined the wooden boats, Williams said.
The museum’s admission is free, Williams said, which puts it in a unique position to move into this year.
Tourism in Osterville already was on the high end last year, Williams said, with many people arriving at their second homes as early as March. She believes that will only continue this year.
“Everything is still very unknown in terms of what we can and cannot do for
next year,” Williams said. “Moving forward we are expecting things to be as normal, or as normal as they can be.”
Tourism was deeply affected in Bourne, known as the Gateway to Cape Cod, according to Marie Oliva, president and CEO of the Cape Cod Canal Region Chamber of Commerce.
Many large festivals, including Cape Cod Canal Day, had to be canceled and weekly outdoor concerts had to be stopped, Oliva said. Those activities typically attract a lot of people to the region, she said.
Whether tourism will return this year is a big question mark for Oliva.
“It is very difficult to plan when you don’t have specific information on when things might turn around,” she said.
Provincetown also had a very different tourism experience last year. All the nightlife was turned off, except for a few outdoor venues, and everyone was restricted to small group gatherings.
Tourism in town went much better than expected, said Anthony Fuccillo, the town’s director of tourism. Despite no parades or large group activities, a lot of people visited town, he said.
With the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines, Fuccillo said, he is optimistic about this year.
“People have been cooped up and want to bust out of their four walls,” Fuccillo said.
Still, many things are uncertain, Fuccillo said. He believes people will continue to wear masks and group gatherings will be limited all the way to the end of 2021.
“I think we will see it come back, but not back to what it was,” Fuccillo said. “Not quite yet.”