Boston’s $2 million plan to bring back tourism, eventually

BOSTON — As the city of Boston continues to deal with a high number of coronavirus cases, and a positivity rate above seven, there are plans to revive local tourism, an industry battered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tourism is a year-round driver of the local economy but capacity limits, health mandates, and soon-to-be fresh restrictions from the state are making survival tougher by the day.

“What we want to do, ultimately, is help businesses recover,” said Mayor Marty Walsh.

The city has a contract with Colette Phillips Communication, the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Proverb, who will work on the $2 million marketing plan to position Boston as a safe travel destination.

Walsh said the money comes from the federal CARES Act, numerous communities across the nation are using grant funding for similar efforts, including communities in states like Ohio and Wisconsin.

“My thought is the sooner the better,” said Leon Wilson, President and CEO of the Museum of African American History in Boston and Nantucket.

The city plans to sell tourists on Boston’s diversity and specifically mentioned highlighting minority-owned businesses that cater to tourists.

“To the extent that there’s increased volume we’re able to handle that volume,” Wilson said.

Oran McGonagle is operations director for East Coast Tavern Group, several of the restaurants he oversees are in the shadow of the Massachusetts State House.

“It is positive for us because we need tourists, we need them,” McGonagle said, emphatically.

At midnight Friday morning, a new round of COVID-19 protocols will begin, one of the rules forcing restaurants to close by 9:30 p.m., which meant McGonagle’s staff had to call people who had made reservations at Emmets Irish Pub and Restaurant and cancel them.

“It’s bad, it’s going to get worse,” McGonagle added.

While Walsh talks up tourism, he added that the effort is just getting started and the rollout of advertisements across television, and social media is weeks, if not months away.

“We want to get ahead of and come up with a plan on when we can reopen safely and completely reopen that we’ll have a plan in place to reopen the city,” Walsh said.

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