Beach Destinations Still a Popular Vacation Spot for Area Residents
WHEELING -- Whether it's a one-day drive to an East Coast destination or a flight to a more tropical location, many area residents are beginning to express more of an interest in a beach destination.
As regulations continue to lift around the country during the coronavirus pandemic, summer vacations are now on the minds of many people, according to Bill Bryson, owner of Uni-Globe Ohio Valley Travel agency in Wheeling. Whether it's a trip to Myrtle Beach, or a flight to the Dominican Republic, Bryson said his office continues to assist those with travel plans to popular beach destinations. He said views of a public beach can often be deceptive when it comes to the actual distance that people are from one another.
"When you think about the beach … it sometimes looks like there are 10,000 people next to each other," Bryson explained.
But in reality, he said, there often is plenty of room in an outdoor beach setting for people to still properly socially distance from one another.
"We've had people say, 'yeah, we're doing the beach this year,'" Bryson commented. "I would think the beaches still have a pretty good summer business for people who want to travel and still maintain (social) distancing."
Bryson said every year his office organizes a "beach party" themed vacation to somewhere like Mexico or the Dominican Republic. He said this year was no different, as his office planned a trip to Jamaica prior to the onset of the pandemic. He said initially they had nearly 60 people sign up for this year's end-of-July trip, and now, approximately half of those people are still signed up to follow through with the trip.
"There's a bunch of people there who are still flying to the beach," Bryson explained, while pointing out that his office continues to encounter people who are still interested in either driving or fly to a beach destination this summer season. "We are seeing people who are tired of being cooped up.
"Beaches I think are still a good option," Bryson said. "I guess the message here is -- people want to go. … Beaches, I think, are high on the (vacation) list because we can still maintain all the safe distances and still not put ourselves at risk."