EAST LYME, Conn. — The state will begin its first phases of re-opening on May 20th. and with Memorial Day around the corner, tourism may play a huge part in bringing in much-needed revenue for the state.
Officials FOX61 spoke to say that the tourism industry will be opening phases just like the rest of the state and going on to say as time goes on that the state will adjust to a new normal.
Senator Paul Formica, a co-chair of the legislature's Tourism Caucus, spoke to FOX61 about the current state of the tourism industry and how it’s being impacted by COVID-19.
Formica said, “So the budget is showing from January to April revenue down at about 950-million dollars the first quarter and next year it looks like we are double that, but that doesn’t take into consideration a resurgence once the economy opens.”
Formica’s thoughts are echoed in the town of Mystic with the Mystic Seaport Museum which is opening Memorial Day weekend to kick off its tourist season.
The seaside museum is part of a larger group --including the Mystic Aquarium. Museum officials tell FOX61 the town revenue depends heavily on the yearly crowds, but this year may be different because of COVID-19.
Dan McFadden said, “We’re a part of what draws people in, and they go downtown, and they shop, and they stay and they eat and so it’s... we’re an important part of the ecosystem but it is an ecosystem and we all benefit.”
A recent study puts tourism-generated dollars at more than 15-billion dollars and creating over 84-thousand jobs across the state.
A large chunk of it comes from the casinos, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods.
Our budget quite frankly depends not only on the jobs but on the slot revenue that these casinos supply to our state, ” said Senator Formica.
Leaders say it will be hard for the state to recover without buyer’s confidence, which many businesses and state leaders hope will grow over time after the state re-opens.
Senator Formica said, “We have to decide what the new normal is and we have to wait and see what that is, but people need to get back to work and we need to get the economy moving again.”
State leaders are urging businesses and people to remain patient as the state slowly starts to re-open.
Health officials do advise people to keep practicing their social distancing and safety guidelines as well.