With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing throughout the summer, cabin fever has started to creep in for some community members. While travel and tourism in general have seen a steep decline, people have started seeking out opportunities to make travel plans closer to home.

The executive director of the Orange County Visitors Bureau, Laurie Paolicelli, recently spoke with 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck about how the pandemic has affected the local tourism industry.

Orange County employs the Visitors Bureau to call attention to all of the attractions and assets among Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough. Paolicelli said county leaders recently called and asked the bureau to put more effort into emphasizing what else is available within the region—even if those places or activities are outside of Orange County.

“What we’ve found is that every research study says people have cabin fever and want to get out,” Paolicelli said, “but not too far away. They want to go within a couple hours. They want to know that wherever they’re going is safe, sanitized, drivable, people are wearing masks and that they can visit and often times be home that same evening.”

When it comes to just how far people are willing to travel right now under these current conditions, Paolicelli noted studies she’s read indicate 250 miles is the magic number. How long this will be the case is unclear, but she anticipates it could be multiple years before the larger cities that are usually hot vacation destinations are completely back to normal.

“In some ways, we’re very lucky because we are a small, affluent community with a college that everyone loves to get married at, and have reunions at and go to sporting events,” Paolicelli said. “San Francisco and some of what we call the “Tier One” cities, they’re projecting to be back to normal in 2025. We’re looking at probably a year of being back to a healthy demand and rate.”

Hotels and other businesses within the hospitality industry are doing their part to implement deep cleaning practices with the goal of making potential customers feel safe. Until things are totally back to normal—whenever that may be–the idea of making quick, local trips still appears to be the safest option for those who are tired of being stuck in the house.

Paolicelli said that the Visitors Bureau website has compiled a list of different options for potential “stay-cations” around the region to make it easier for people in the community to come up with those kinds of plans.

Although they may not be the ideal summer vacations for everybody, it’s a solid alternative that allows people to play with the hand they’ve been dealt while also prioritizing safety above all else.

“We’ve had better days, as you know, in our local hospitality industry—here, across the country and probably the world,” Paolicelli said. “Travel is just not something that there’s a lot of consumer confidence about right now. People are frightened for good reason. The virus is in charge.”

Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.

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