PEABODY — The Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce (PACC) held its annual legislative breakfast Tuesday morning, giving local elected officials a forum to speak on recent developments, particularly pertaining to the event’s topic, tourism and the local economy.
Attendees gathered at the Boston Marriott Peabody to hear from guest speakers, including PACC President Deanne Healey, Vice President of Marketing at North Shore Bank Chris Pesce, Mayor Ted Bettencourt, State Sen. Joan Lovely, Rep. Thomas Walsh, Rep. Sally Kerans, North of Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau (NBCVB) Executive Director Nancy Gardella, and the keynote speaker, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT) Kate Fox.
The breakfast, which North Shore Savings Bank sponsored, saw city council members, school committee members, Peabody Municipal Lighting Commission members, a group of students from Peabody Veterans Memorial High School, the PACC Board of Directors, and a variety of area businesses that are members of the Peabody Chamber.
Discussed at length during the breakfast was the economic impact that tourism has on the area and the importance of wielding that power.
Healey opened the program by recalling the recent grants PACC achieved, one being from MOTT that funded the promotion of Peabody’s recreational spaces through TV ads, a spoken word video, and lamppost banners.
Additionally, an NCVB grant from this past fall gave funds for promoting the local dining scene, using social media to feature area restaurants.
“In this year, the chamber will be hosting workshops to help businesses get on board with capturing residual business from Salem visitors, connect them with the Trails and Sails promotional campaign, and take advantage of free listings available on VisitMa, ” Healey said. “Tourism does fuel our local economy, and the more we collaborate across industries, the more we leverage these visitors to benefit all of us.”
Mayor Bettencourt also took the chance to discuss some of the city’s recent achievements involving local business, including the opening of bids for the new police and public safety headquarters project and plans to allow for more vocational courses like electrical and plumbing when the new PVMHS is built.
He recounted how his goal ever since starting as Peabody’s mayor was to improve the city’s infrastructure. Since then, millions of dollars have been invested in initiatives like the Central Street Improvement Project.
“This project includes new road surface, sidewalks and curbing, crosswalks, traffic signals and modern design amenities. Construction is scheduled to continue again this year, continuing through the 2027 construction season,” Bettencourt said. “It is going to be outstanding when it’s complete. It’s going to completely transform that area.”
Statistics reported by Fox and Gardella in their speeches gave some perspective on how the tourist economy side of Peabody has fared in recent years while these initiatives were being enacted.
“Peabody plays a key role in the thriving tourism economy north of Boston, contributing over $104 million in domestic and international visitor spending, and tourism in Peabody supports 876 local jobs and generates nearly $27 million in payroll, while also delivering significant tax benefits; $6.8 million In state tax revenue and $2.5 million in local taxes,” Fox said. “These numbers underscore how Peabody accommodations, cultural attractions, and the business community help fuel regional economic growth.”
Fox also reported on a divergence within the hospitality sector, where short-term rentals have been on the rise, as hotel bookings have been on a downward trend statewide since May of 2024.
Regardless, Fox and Gardella emphasized the importance of capturing tourists and having them stay in the Peabody area, whether through a short-term rental or a hotel.
“Tourism, it is said by some, is the third largest industry in Massachusetts, because it is a cash cow,” Gardella said. “It is other people’s money, infusing our economy, being spent in our local businesses, keeping our main streets, our arts, our culture, our restaurants, thriving, and we’ve got a lot of fantastic tools to lure people here.”
The legislative speakers echoed this sentiment by highlighting economic achievements seen at the state level.
“We did a lot of economic initiatives. We did a landmark economic development bill, $3.5 billion in investments… Our Mass Impact Fund is millions of dollars to impact what’s happening here in Massachusetts,” Lovely said. “That is a bond bill… We are bonding for that to be able to invest into our business community and strengthen our Massachusetts economy.”
Also mentioned was the Downtown Vitality Act, which Walsh stated is a pilot program where millions of dollars in grants will be offered to Gateway Cities for investment in a community.
“There is a piece of the downtown vitality act that really is a partnership where it’s going to mean that the grants that are available will also require that there’s investment by the local community and by local businesses that buy in,” said Walsh. “I think with everyone coming together, it will augment what the city of PBS in the region is really trying to do, especially when it comes to our downtown.”
