Could Omicron impact local tourism?
MONTEREY, Calif. (KION) — Monterey is ready for the holiday season, now lit with strings of lights and a Christmas tree sitting in Steinbeck Plaza. But just as it felt like Americans were putting the pandemic behind them, news of the new Omicron variant is once again rattling the tourism industry.
A familiar dread is rising with the news of new restrictions and winter guidelines from the Biden Administration, but it’s still yet to be seen if there will be an impact locally.
But the Monterey County tourism industry has been through this before, and this time they’re prepared.
“We're always putting out messages on how to be safe, because that's what people are looking for. They're picking destinations based on where they think that they're going to be safe,” said Rob O’Keefe, CEO of the Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Fortunately, California as a whole, and Monterey County in particular have gained a lot of positives from travelers because of the steps that have been taken up to this point.”
Businesses are just getting back on their feet after nearly two years of devastation brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Monterey County tourism industry saw an estimated $400 million dollar loss in just the first 90 days of the pandemic. But they say the Delta variant didn’t have as much of an impact on travel.
And although mask mandates are not currently in place in Monterey County, many people on Cannery Row were still seen wearing them on Thursday.
“It’s been almost two years, and people let their guard down. It’s very concerning that it’s not going away. You know, we had the Delta variant, and now this whole viral situation… it’s scary,” said Janet Pittman, visiting from San Jose.
Pittman says she has been monitoring news of the Omicron variant since it was identified in San Francisco Wednesday.
The Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau has not seen any drop in tourism due to Omicron so far. But news Thursday of President Joe Biden changing testing rules for entering the U.S. could have an impact. All inbound international travelers will soon have to test within one day of departure for the United States.
“They're not turning the spigot off on international travel. They're just adding a filter to make it safer for everybody. Our hope is that that doesn't last that long. It's particularly important to Monterey County as the international travelers tend to spend three to five times as much as the domestic traveler, so they're very valuable,” said O’Keefe. “We understand the restrictions that are being put in place and why, and we're optimistic that they won't last that long and that they won't have a major impact.”
