In many areas, tourism took a major hit due to COVID-19, but tourism along the North Carolina coast didn't follow those trends.

Despite pandemic setbacks and maybe even because of them, parts of North Carolina's beach tourism industry have flourished.

What You Need To Know

  • Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, many people came down to the North Carolina coast for vacation.
  • Vacation rentals hit a record high this summer, making up for short term rental closures earlier this year.
  • Other businesses felt the good results of a busy summer carry over into the off season.

Anne Holloway has worked at Bluewater vacation rentals for 13 years. Although their shortterm rentals were shut down from March through May, the rest of the summer more than made up for it.

“We really didn't have time to know what to expect because as soon as they opened the beaches back up everything just exploded. We had a hard time even finding things for people to stay in cause everything was so full. It was just insane,” says Holloway.

Bluewater Rentals had a record breaking year due to the influx of visitors. Holloway believes it's because more people are working and studying from home.

She says renting condos or beach houses is a good way to take a break from being at home while still staying safe and following social distancing protocols.

“[We're] just letting people know that it is safe to come here. And being in a house especially this size with five bedrooms and more space to spread out... but still be able to connect with each other and be at the beach,” says Holloway.

The success of vacation rentals spilled into other areas of tourism as well.

The Ruddy Duck Tavern in Morehead City welcomed many new faces this summer—Owner Fabian Botta refers to them as new “weekend locals” rather than tourists.

“I think the theory that I have is that people are getting away from the cities. And they can be here, they can be on the water, they can be apart from each other,” says Botta.

But no matter how many people visit the beach, restaurants in the area still have to follow state guidelines and limit seating to 50% capacity.

“We're able to fill it, no question about that,” says Botta.

So how does 2020 compare with previous years? Botta says it's about the same, maybe even a little busier.

“It's a lot harder to do business, I'll tell you that. A lot of people are coming down to the beach, a lot of people are getting away from the cities. So we're able to see a little bit more business, a lot more traffic in the area right off season where we didn't see it before,” says Botta.

As off season approaches, things are expected to slow down. However, businesses are thankful for the support they have received through these difficult times.

“We count our blessings that what I said that we're able to be here and that we're able to stay open,” says Botta.

Will this trend continue? Time will tell. But with more of our lives moving online, working vacations with a view of the ocean could become the norm.