With the first summer out of quarantine since the coronavirus pandemic began, families are planning where to spend their long-awaited summer vacation. Rather than the beaches or Disney World, however, travelers are flocking to towns such as Plattsburgh, NY, Habersham County, GA, and Quincy, Illinois. What these small towns have in common: the beloved COVID-19 vaccine.
Daniel Block, author of the “An Unexpected Boon to America’s Vaccine Towns” writes about his 9-hour-round-trip to Plattsburgh, NY from his hometown of NYC just for the vaccine. Upon talking with the locals at nearby restaurants and stores, he learned how truly elated they were for the out-of-towners to visit their sleepy suburb. “Locals in Plattsburgh told me that they’ve seen a modest bump in commerce since the inoculation site opened in mid-January, much of which they suspect is coming from vaccine tourists spending the night. ‘It has made a difference,’ says Raj Patel, the manager of Golden Gate Lodging, a motel in the city. ‘The extra 10, 20 percent boost in revenue has been due to them’” Daniel writes.
The unexpected tourism has boosted many small-town economies that have lost so much the past year due to the pandemic. The vaccine centers are just one area within the recovering-pandemic world that are helping to bring the economy back to life. Many cool innovations are being created to combat the virus, including delivery drones, which combine emerging technology capabilities with opportunities to maintain public health and safety.
More information on COVID-19 can be found on GovShop, a free supplier and contract intelligence platform that provides comprehensive data across all markets. As part of the ongoing effort of Public Spend Forum to connect buyers and suppliers in emerging technology fields, GovShop’s list of suppliers in combat of the coronavirus is accessible here.
