Traveler Sentiment Update; June 8, 2021
"The Future of Workspaces"
Join moderators Myha Gallagher & Erin Francis-Cumming as they share some recent questions answered from the Coronavirus Travel Sentiment Index Report. This week’s event featured a timely discussion about the future of office workspace and the expected changes that are here to stay.
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The Latest Updates from US Travel
The President signed H.R. 1318 into law, also known as the “ Alaska Tourism Restoration Act.” The act temporarily allows foreign-flagged cruise ships to sail directly from Washington State to Alaska without having to dock in Canada first until either the date on which Canada lifts restrictions prohibiting cruise ships from docking in its waters due to the COVID-19 pandemic or March 31, 2022.
Also, the SBA announced the debut of a new regional webinar series, “ Getting Back on Track: Help Is Here.” The webinars serve as an important outreach effort to provide Main Street with the information and resources needed to recover from devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. |
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Moving Toward Open!
New Guidelines and Resources
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Your Free Vaccine Ride is Waiting!
Uber believes transportation should never be a barrier to getting the vaccine. That’s why they are partnering with the White House to provide free rides to and from vaccination appointments across the nation.
From May 24 through July 4, you’ll get up to 4 free rides (up to $25 each) to and from your vaccination appointments.
We’re almost there—together, we can help America get vaccinated.
To learn more go here.
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Host a pop-up vaccination clinic? On-site vaccination clinics are a critical tool to make vaccinations as accessible as possible to your local community. This toolkit provides a roadmap for community organizations, employers and other groups, referenced here as “host organizations,” to work directly with vaccine providers to set up vaccination clinics in places people know and trust.
To access the On-site Vaccination Toolkit, go here.
The Whatcom County Health Department can assist with advertising and promotion! Please send details about the planned clinic to Health-COVIDVaccine@co.whatcom.wa.us.
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Mask Guidance Tools
Curious about what the latest mask guidance means for your business or organization? The Whatcom County Health Department has two new tools to help clarify what the mask guidance means for business and organizations in Whatcom County.
For a helpful info sheet, visit https://bit.ly/2TtbMby or watch the video below.
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2-minute Video Clarifying Mask Guidance
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Summary of May 19 changes:
- In Phase 3, occupancy is held at 50%; however, the maximum number of people is increased to 1,000 as long as six feet of physical distance can be maintained.
- Conferences, business meetings and similar activities can operate without occupancy restrictions and physical distancing requirements if all attendees are vaccinated.
- Fully vaccinated attendees are not required to wear a face covering
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Wednesday, June 16, 2021, 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Find out what you need to know for that event we all want to attend!
Meeting schedule:
Update from Whatcom, Snohomish, Skagit and Island County Health Departments
8:30 – 9:20 a.m. - Four public health officers will address North Puget Sound event organizers on the reopening of events in their counties as we approach June 30. They’ll also be available to answer all of your questions. Speakers: Phil Wyman, Snohomish County Health Department & Darin Klein, Whatcom County Health Department
The Current State of Reopening for Events
9:30 – 10:20 a.m. - The State has begun to open up events – hear the latest from the person in charge of writing the guidelines for the reopening of events. Learn what you can do in Phase 3 and what will happen when the State “opens up” on June 30. Speaker: Karen Hanan, Washington State Arts Commission, member of Governor’s cabinet
Register here to attend.
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Local Updates and Opportunities
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Recent data released by Tourism Economics shows that COVID’s impact on tourism and hospitality resulted in a decrease in direct travel spending in Whatcom County of 31.4% in 2020. The study, prepared for Washington Tourism Alliance and Washington State Destination Marketing Organizations Association, tracks visitors to the region, their associated spend in five categories, and subsequent industry jobs. Visitors to Whatcom County were down 22.7% from over 3M in 2019, and the jobs supported by visitation dropped from 7,443 in 2019 to 4,199 in 2020, a painful 44% decrease for workers and their families.
Fig A: Breakdown of direct spending in Whatcom County in 2019, a total of $555,100,000
Fig B: Breakdown of direct spending in Whatcom County in 2020 and trends chart
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Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism Education Series Content:
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Just in case you missed it and have an interest
in fostering inclusive hospitality in Whatcom County!
Our education partner, HospitableMe, delivered their signature program, Everyone Welcome! This training program discusses evolving language, the growing market, unconscious bias, the challenges LGBTQ+ people face when traveling, and ways we can do better and make the community feel more welcomed.
Find a copy of the recorded meeting and materials here (available for a year):
Visit Bellingham | Whatcom County Tourism Education Series; June 2, 2021
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Current Campaigns and Outreach
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Share Our Campaigns, Support Our Local Economy!
Follow Bellingham Experience on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for daily updates and content to share, such as this great information on fish and chips!
Help spread the word about upcoming, don't-miss activities happening in Whatcom County! Every week we update and share our blog Things To Do This Weekend to help visitors (and locals) experience Bellingham & Whatcom.
Our calendar is for visitor-friendly events throughout Whatcom County so make sure you ADD YOUR EVENT so we can add you to our blog, and help spread the word!
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Use our itineraries to invite folks to spend two or three days, marvel at two scenic byways, and make memories from world-class fun (with small town easy).
Create your own one-of-kind social media posts telling folks why they should add YOUR organization as a part of their trip!
Be sure to tag us @BellinghamExperience and #BellinghamExperience 🚗🧳
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1st Place is Jodi Broughton - North Cascades National Park
2nd Place is Maria Griggs - Taylor Dock
3rd Place is Kari McArdle - Arroyo Park
