Visit Baltimore Rolls Out New Campaign In Effort To Increase Tourism Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Watermark Journey's fleet of boats gives tours of the Inner Harbor.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, they had tours seven days a week. But since the pandemic, they've had to reduce their operations to just three days a week and at 25 percent of the boat's capacity.
"There's nothing better than seeing people enjoy Baltimore's harbor from a boat," Zack Gibbons, the Baltimore Operations Manager for Watermark Journeys, said.
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"The tourism hasn't been there," Gibbons added. "We're hurting."
It's why Visit Baltimore is rolling out a new plan to revitalize the City's tourism industry.
"It's going to take us to rebuild it," Al Hutchinson, CEO of Visit Baltimore, said.
By using Baltimore's own people like rappers, restauranteurs, plant shop owners and poets to encourage Baltimore's own citizens to come out and rediscover the city.
"We are really relying on locals right now to come down and take the tour," Gibbons said of their boat rides.
"Let's have some staycations," Hutchinson said.
The city will be rolling out banners with photos of its citizens in Baltimore and in cities up and down the east coast to encourage regional travelers to come to Baltimore as well.
"Why wouldn't you want to come here?" asked Kondwani Fidel, a poet being featured in the city's new tourism campaign.
Visit Baltimore announced Wednesday the city is in the running to be a host for World Cup 2026. To lend your support and add your name to the position - do so here.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.
