SALEM — With the state opening up, that means one thing for Witch City.
With vaccination rates increasing across the state and nation, tourists have made their way back to Salem. The town is coming alive again and the familiar sight of crowds surrounding statues and tours being conducted has returned.
Kate Fox from Destination Salem said that the city has been busy in regards to tourism and visitation rebounded to 2019 numbers fairly quickly.
“We are seeing increased traffic on salem.org, and about 35 percent of visitors who are researching travel to Salem are planning for October of this year,” she said. “Our hotels have sold out for October weekends, so we are forecasting a strong summer and fall.”
While this might seem like great news, local businesses have had to deal with some issues already.
“Most businesses are happy to have customers back, but the staffing shortages are causing stress in the tourism industry,” said Fox. “Almost all businesses are hiring, including accommodations, restaurants, retail, tours, attractions and museums, and there aren’t enough people looking for or wanting to work. This is forcing businesses to shorten hours and adjust operations to fit the staff they have.”
With cases across the country growing and variants popping up throughout the United States, Fox said that they aren’t too worried about outbreaks popping up.
“We are following the Salem Board of Health and Massachusetts Department of Health recommendations, and most businesses are following the CDC guidelines that require masks if you are not fully vaccinated,” she said. “The trends regarding the variants are concerning, but the science tells us that fully vaccinated people are not at risk. I am optimistic that our community’s strong vaccination rate will protect Salem from increased cases of COVID this summer and fall.”
