Economic experts plan for post COVID-19 comeback
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - There will be a long comeback, possibly several years, to recover from the coronavirus economic impacts according to experts speaking at a special webinar Wednesday morning in Santa Barbara.
Over 200 people joined in to watch the presentation and listen to the speakers.
The President and CEO of Visit Santa Barbara, Kathy Janega-Dykes said travel and tourism has been hit especially hard. "It's going to take multiple years to recover."
She said, according to the recent study, "the weekly occupancy is between 10 and 15 percent." She called it an all-time low for the industry.
The Spring and Summer travel seasons are likely to be "decimated."
The industry officials who were tuned in were encouraged to be "well in position to be ready when the clearance is given to reactivate."
70 percent of the public miss traveling, according to a new survey. It also showed many people have cancelled trips that have not been rescheduled.
Repeat visitors are a target audience.
Places that have more open spaces like beach destinations and rural areas which Santa Barbara County has plenty of, are likely to be favorable first stops.
Santa Barbara County is in position to attract the drive-market visitors such as those coming up from Los Angeles and Orange County.
"Hotels will be perceived as unsafe for a period of time," said Janega-Dykes. "Business travel will have a more lasting decline."
On the entertainment front, "concerts and festivals cannot be perceived as destination drivers" for the near future.
With the payroll protection plan there is an eight week payroll period to have those employees come back and use the money for 75 percent of the funds.
Some businesses said getting the staff back is difficult and some have left the state. Experts say they don't have to be the same employees.
There are employees off work who are making more money on unemployment than they would if they came back to work, depending on what job is awaiting them now.
One business owner asked if he had to be a customer of a bank to get the loan application through.
The agricultural industry appears to be getting set for its own webinar to discuss educational support and outreach for that industry.
Questions will be answered and posted on ReadySBC.org.
Watch for coverage tonight on KEYT NewsChannel 3, KCOY NewsChannel 12, and KKFX Fox 11.
More details and video will be added here later today.
