For Few Destinations, Tourism Doing Better Than Ever…

The pandemic pummeled tourist hubs across the country this summer as families shunned the usual vacation hot spots, canceling flights and scrapping plans for beach getaways. But for some rustic destinations within a day’s drive of big U.S. cities, the coronavirus crisis unleashed a boom.
Garrett County, Md., suffered with the rest of the country’s holiday hot spots when the state ordered nonessential businesses to close on March 23. That day, Steve Green laid off his entire staff at High Mountain Sports, an outdoor equipment store that caters to skiers in winter and, in the summer, hikers, bikers and boaters on nearby Deep Creek Lake. “I was having a hard time seeing a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
Then, in late May, Maryland began relaxing the lockdown. “It was like on Memorial Day at 4 o’clock someone turned the light switch on—and it’s been just nonstop since then,” the 52-year-old said. His company, like many others in Garrett County, is on track for a better year than 2019, despite 2½ months of pandemic lockdowns.
“People are looking for a place they can go on vacation and feel relatively safe,” he said. The area is within a few hours’ drive of Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Washington, D.C. The main recreation options involve the man-made lake, Allegheny Mountains and eight state parks nearby featuring activities that let families keep to themselves, such as kayaking, biking and hiking.
“There is probably no better way to social-distance than being on a boat,” said Mr. Green.

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