North Carolina’s tourism industry eager to recover from pandemic’s harsh blow

RALEIGH, N.C. — Looking at the empty streets outside his South Beach Grill restaurant in Wrightsville Beach, John Andrews is seeing a new avenue of opportunity unfold — but that’s if the local government adopts an idea to transition city streets into pedestrian zones.

“They’re considering closing some of the streets to vehicles and making it a pedestrian walkway from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., which would enable restaurants to sprawl into the streets,” Andrews explains, a move that would allow restaurants to expand outdoor seating and come closer to hitting the same kind of capacity as before social distancing.

For now, Andrews is continuing the to-go service that has kept his business running at about one-fifth of its typical volume. Best-case scenario, he’s hopeful revenue this year will reach 50% of last year, and increased outdoor seating would help.

But no matter how innovative businesses become or how quickly communities reopen, the tourism industry in North Carolina — and all of its collateral businesses — is suffering catastrophic losses this year. And the leaders across the industry are hoping that the state’s enduring appeal — with its miles of beaches and rows of mountains — will help it recover quickly, especially if vacationers decide against bigger trips and select destinations that are easy to reach in a drive.

Read more here for an in-depth look at the sector’s efforts.

Half of SC's hospitality jobs gone; unemployment rate triples in NC Half of SC's hospitality jobs gone; unemployment rate triples in NC

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