Labor Day tourism strong, but workforce issues plague businesses
Photo / Jim Neuger
Tony Cameron, CEO of the Maine Tourism Association, says hospitality venues this summer had plenty of visitors but lacked employees.
Labor Day weekend business was strong for tourism throughout Maine, but many businesses cut back hours or lost revenue due to staffing shortages, according to a survey by the Maine Tourism Association.
Of the members responding to the survey, 40% said business was better than a normal, non-pandemic year like 2019. Another 29% said business was 75% to 100% of normal. Only 8% said business was less than half of that of past holiday weekends.
“It’s been a challenge for tourism businesses that are working so hard to make up for 2020’s losses. They are limited, not by the lack of visitors, but by a lack of staff,” the Maine Tourism Association’s CEO Tony Cameron said. “Millions in tourism dollars could be added to Maine’s economy ... if only there were more workers available.”
Members were asked about the effects that staffing shortages continue to have on their businesses and could choose more than one answer. Just over a third, 36%, said they have reduced business capacity such as room or table closures or cutting back on tours or other services, while 28% have reduced hours or days of the week of operation. Staffing shortages were causing 38% of respondents to lose revenue. Only 7% said they would close earlier than normal for the season.
Two-third of the respondents reported that their business is being affected in some way by increases in COVID-19 cases and the delta variant.
More than half, 55%, predicted that the fall season would be better than usual and another 20% believe it will be about the same as normal, pre-COVID, years. Only 25% said fall business would be worse.
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