Tag: July 2020

Sunset – heading out to Ipswich Bay

Posted on by Catherine

 

boat heading out July sunset_20200724_ Gloucester Mass©c ryan

Mill sunset_20200724_Gloucester Mass ©c ryan

Judith Murray | Sargent House featured in NEW Massachusetts vacation trail #WomenTrailblazers #GloucesterMA #VisitMA

Posted on by Catherine

Sargent House Museum_20170831_Glouceseter Ma ©c ryan

See the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (Mott) July 2020 update below! Look for two FREE and easy business listing ideas, the 2019 Annual Report with all its visitor data, Covid-19 and its impact on the tourism sector, and Gloucester news that Judith Sargent Murray | Sargent House museum will be featured on the Regional Council Historic Women Trailblazers site! Gloucester boasts many women ground breakers.

 

BE SARGENT_Judith Sargent Murray mural Gloucester Mass _20180422_©c ryan
(photo caption – Monumental and stunning Be Sargent mural of Judith Sargent Murray is sited across Main street and front of historic house museum, Gloucester, Mass. See also HarborWalk marker here, and Cape Ann Museum.)

from MOTT July 2020:

(*Woodman’s photo)
July 2020
The spirit of Massachusetts is stronger than ever. Throughout the Commonwealth our friends and neighbors are working to keep people safe while helping to support the local economy – buying local, shopping local, staying local. We see people banding together for the common goal of keeping Massachusetts strong. In our arena, look no further than the new micro website initiated by the Regional Tourism Councils, www.spiritofma.com.  Congratulations to our RTC partners for this initiative. 

This month, Massachusetts moves from Phase Two to Phase Three of the Commonwealth’s four-phase plan to Reopen Massachusetts.  You can stay up to date on the latest Massachusetts news by checking the COVID-19 links below. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with questions or comments.  

On behalf of all of us here at MOTT, thank you to the Massachusetts’ travel and tourism community for its resolve, optimism, and creativity as we move forward to brighter days ahead. 

Sincerely,

Keiko Matsudo Orrall
Executive Director

 

Massachusetts Reopening News

  • Beginning July 1, the Baker-Polito Administration has new quarantine guidelines for visitors coming to Massachusetts from seven neighboring states, including NY, NJ, CT, ME, NH, RI & VT.  See details here.
  • MOTT’s website, www.massvacation.com, now has FAQs for visitors coming to Massachusetts.
  • On June 28, the Commonwealth embarked on Phase II, Step 2 of the Reopening Massachusetts plan. Find information on when businesses can reopen here.
  • Indoor dining is now permitted.  For full restaurant guidance, click here.
  • State House officials announced additional administrative tax relief measures for local businesses impacted by COVID-19, especially in the restaurant and hospitality sectors. This tax relief includes postponing the collection of regular sales tax, meals tax, and room occupancy taxes for small businesses normally due from March through August, so that they will instead be due in September.

International Update

UK journalist, Abigail King, who had previously been hosted on an international FAM trip to Massachusetts, has written a blog on Nantucket, which was shortlisted for The Visit USA 2020 Media Awards. We are so happy to share that Abigail King won in the category of Blogger/Vlogger of the Year Award, with the submission of her beautiful Nantucket article from her visit; Fast forward to 3:41 to hear the award announcement by Visit USA! A sincere thank you to all in Massachusetts who hosted and made Abigail King’s experience in Massachusetts a memorable one.  Read Abigail’s piece on Nantucket here.

Industry News

Spirit of Massachusetts
The Regional Tourism Councils (RTC) have created a new micro website to promote Massachusetts as a great place to visit when the time is right. See details here.

Sales Tax Holiday
Massachusetts’ annual Sales Tax Holiday the weekend of August 30-31 offers a good opportunity to support Main Street businesses and the local economy.  See FAQs about the Sales Tax Holiday.

State Campgrounds
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation has opened state campgrounds beginning July 1.  See details here.

The 2020 Big E Cancelled
The Eastern States Exposition announced that due to the COVID-19 crisis, this year’s BIG E Fair has been cancelled.  Be sure to mark your calendar for the 2021 BIG E Fair: September 17-October 3, 2021, and keep up with the latest from The Big E here.

Massachusetts Celebrates Women Trailblazers
MOTT’s Historic Women Trailblazers digital page celebrates the achievement of women in the Commonwealth.  Stay tuned for the release of our digital booklet on the Historic Women Trailblazer’s page in August.

Massport News
Construction work at Logan International Airport this summer will affect traffic patterns at the airport, especially around Terminal B.  See details here.

Call for Brochures
Our friends at Simon/Lee Premium Outlets in Lee, MA, invite you to send them one box of brochures or visitor guides for display at their information centers.  There is no storage or stocking fee so please send your printed tourism information to: Carolyn Edwards, Area General Manager, Simon/Lee Premium Outlets, 17 Premium Outlets Blvd., Lee, MA 01238. If you would like more information, please contact Carolyn Edwards.

50 Great Things to do Under $50

MOTT’s ’50 Under $50’ special deals page is consistently ranked as one of our Top 5 visited web pages each month.  To list a special deal offered by your organization, the offer must be valid for a two-month duration and the admission of $50 must cover: two adults only and/or two adults with two children age 12 and under.

We are currently accepting ’50 Under $50’ offers for August/September/October. Please send your submissions to:  Phyllis M. Cahaly.

FREE means FREE!

With so many amazing free things to do in Massachusetts, we created a FREE category listing in our online calendar of events at massvacation.com.

Now, you can add your organization’s cost-free events to MOTT’s year-round calendars. Just click on ‘submit your listing’ on the bottom of the homepage, and follow the prompts.

COVID-19 Resources & News

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By the Numbers

  • In calendar year 2019, International visitors to Massachusetts totaled 2.5 million, which was down slightly from 2018.
  • Overseas volume to Massachusetts was just under 1.8 million.  The top five origin countries were: China (269 k), United Kingdom (247 k), Germany (104 k), Brazil (102 k), and France (101 k).  Canadian visitation to Massachusetts has historically been just under 700,000 with the majority of visitors coming from the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

  • The 2019 Annual Report has been published.