Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/1356079
APRIL / MAY / JUNE 2021 29 TOM NORWALK Visit Sea le, President & CEO In late 2019, following a decade of record travel and tourism growth in Seattle and King County, our organization set an unusual goal for 2020. As the area's official destination marketing organization, we wanted to make travel and tourism more of a shared community value. We wanted the industry and our many partners to be recognized for the economic impact they generate and provide to the community through the power of travel. Wow, the global pandemic delivered big time on that goal for us! AMY LABOSSIERE New Mom I found out I was pregnant in January 2020. We had just attended e Main Event at the WAC and celebrated my husband Andre's birthday. (I confirmed with my doctor that, yes, the baby was okay even with the weekend of celebra- tion!) When the pandemic got serious in March 2020, I wasn't showing at all. My husband got to see the progress of baby Lance grow, but it was strange that not many others did. Although I was grateful for not getting random belly touches from strangers— I've heard horror stories about such things—I missed not celebrating my pregnancy with my friends and family. e pandemic did allow for some serious nesting—we built a nursery!— and our house has never been more organized. We also made a sort of new family with the staff of a local restaurant. When baby Lance was ready to make his appearance, Andre and I made our way to the hospital, masks on, me screaming through contractions. I didn't have to wear my mask while in labor, thank goodness! Lance was born September 21, 2020. He did not meet his grandparents until he was two weeks old and they tested negative for COVID-19. While there are certain things we missed during the pandemic, we were also very lucky to have such a bright light come out of 2020! In March 2020, travel and tourism as we know it totally stopped and virtually disappeared overnight. I vividly remem- ber walking to Pike Place Market one morning a couple of months into the shutdown. It was mid-May and I was struck by the quiet. e market was almost totally deserted along with the rest of downtown. It resembled a vacant movie set more than its normal vibrant self. For me, that is when the reality of all the business, restaurant and hotel closures hit home. Along with lost jobs and ways of life, millions of dollars in visitor tax revenue disappeared due to travel restrictions and COVID safety concerns. e economic fallout of the pandemic and a year with virtually no tourism is difficult to fathom. So here we are, full of hope and optimism that with widespread vaccinations the second half of 2021 will come back to life and that travel will eventually once again flourish. ere are a couple of things that the pandemic provided and reinforced for me: 1. ere is no substitute for being face to face. From online education to meetings and business events, virtual always falls short. 2. We have learned that being able to travel, explore, see, and expe- rience new destinations is part of our DNA. Travel and tourism will flourish again! Although 2020 didn't go as planned, the pandemic made clear the importance of a vibrant travel industry and the tre- mendous economic and social impacts created by the businesses that serve all those who visit our region. C O U R T E S Y P H O T O M A R Y B E T H H A S E L F E L D P H O T O G R A P H Y