Troubling indications of difficult tourist season

LACONIA — Emergency orders shutting down major parts of the state's economy are set to expire May 4, but it’s becoming clear the coronavirus pandemic will have long-lasting effects on tourism key to the Lakes Region’s financial health.

Those orders closing hotels, restaurant dining rooms and various attractions could well be extended. Gov. Chris Sununu said Tuesday the state won’t be emerging from the worst of the healthcare crisis in a couple weeks, but perhaps during the summer.

Gunstock Mountain Resort has curtailed its summertime activities, as has the Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough. Organizers of the biggest event of the summer in the Lakes Region, Motorcycle Week, which is usually held in June, are considering alternate dates in August.

Charlie St. Clair, executive director for Motorcycle Week, said that by the end of this month a decision will be made on whether to seek city permission to hold the 97-year-old event August 22-30, rather than June 13-21.

Motorcycle Week attracts scores of people to Lakeside Avenue in Laconia, along with various other venues. The tourist infusion is critical for many local businesses, but will people want to be in such crowds while the virus is present, no vaccine available and the standard advice is to avoid crowded areas?

A lot will depend on when Sununu lifts restrictions, St. Clair said.

“It’s not our call,” he said. “It’s the call of the state officials. If they say it’s not OK, it doesn’t matter what I think.”

It will also depend on the decisions of tourists.

“Are people going to decide they’ll never want to leave their house without a vaccine?” St. Clair asked.

“The majority of businesses in the Lakes Region and further out depend on Motorcycle Week for a huge economic boost, certainly this year more than ever.”

He said motorcycle events have been postponed in Florida, South Carolina and Nevada.

A 59-year-old Harley-Davidson enthusiast died of COVID-19 on March 26 after attending Daytona Bike Week earlier in the month, according to published reports. Florida health officials have asked to be contacted by anyone who attended that event and experienced symptoms of the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the Gunstock Area Commission decided on Tuesday to scale back summer offerings at the resort, including Adventure Park activities, the Zipline, Aerial Treetop Adventure course, Mountain Coaster and Discover Zone attractions.

Commissioner Brian Gallagher said these attractions by their very nature would be difficult to operate while maintaining proper precautions against the virus.

“We were concerned about guests who come from all over New England and even further, from New York and New Jersey, and quite a few seasonal employees who normally work for us,” he said. “With the unpredictability of the virus at this time, we had to make an assessment of what made the most sense in the short-term operations and offerings.”

“We could see a decline of summer operations revenue from $500,000 to $600,000 by not being able to have adventure park activities.”

Such a loss would come on top of hundreds of thousands of dollars lost when the pandemic forced the ski area to close in March rather than April, Gallagher said.

It’s hard to predict what next ski season will look like. Lift lines, ticket windows and lodges can be crowded, making it difficult to maintain the 6 feet of separation advised by health officials.

Another potential harbinger of a tough tourist season ahead is the decision by Castle in the Clouds to delay the start of its season until July 1.

“We worry about the health and safety of our visitors and team and are doing our best to predict and plan for the short- and long-term effects on our business,” Executive Director Charles Clark said on the attraction’s website.

“We have made the difficult but necessary decisions that businesses across the globe are grappling with: having our staff work remotely, cancelling programs and activities, and watching closely the predictions from experts about when we might be able to return to some semblance of normal operations.”