The travel and tourism economy in western Massachusetts is expected to feel the impact of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, if and when they're reinstated. Most were paused for 90 days this afternoon, except for tariffs on Chinese goods.
“The enemy of travel is a decline in disposable income,” said Jonathan Butler, CEO at 1Berkshire, among Massachusetts 16 regional tourism councils.
If people have less resources, Butler said, they will spend less when they travel – or they'll make the decision to not travel at all, affecting Berkshire county across the board.
“When you look at our economy, there [are] multiple sectors,” Butler said. “The cultural economy, hospitality, food and agriculture, health and wellness, performing arts, outdoor recreation – you know all of those will potentially feel some impact from tariffs and overall consumer spending power.”
Putting “radical tariffs” in place Butler said, without any “methodology” is alarming. Trump's sudden pause on the tariffs does not include those placed on China.
Location, location, location
Western Mass. is fortunate because of where it sits on the map, said Mary Kay Wydra, president of Explore Western Mass., and the Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau, a destination marketing organization and another of the state’s regional tourism councils.
“We are close to major population bases like New York and Boston,” Wydra said. “Those are primary feeder markets for us [and] there are a lot of people in those markets, all with different levels of spending when they plan a trip.”
The tariffs will have an indirect impact on tourism, Wydra said echoing Butler, “if other items that are being taxed are going to cost more, travelers could potentially have less discretionary income to spend,” she said.
Their plan, Wydra said, is to continue to promote western Mass. as a great “value destination.”
“You know, [the region offers] such a variety of accommodations and attractions and dining establishments,” Wydra said. “I think we're a good pick for people who might be watching their pennies.”
Franklin County’s farms and agritourism
Many visitors head to Franklin County for outdoor recreation and agritourism said Jessye Dean, who leads the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce which also houses another of the state's regional tourism councils.
“[Those are] huge economic drivers for Franklin County, and we are very much aware and concerned with the ripple effects that [federal] tariffs will have,” Deane said.
As a chamber of commerce, Deane's group is making sure to support local businesses and industry, she said. With the county's largely rural economy — with more than 800 farms — Deane said she will be watching how the tariffs impact local farmers.
“They may find themselves in a position where they can no longer access some of the supplies and materials that they need. As we know, a lot of times these farms don't work on a huge profit margin," she said, "and so the cost of those goods is of critical concern to us."
Wearing her other hat, leading a regional tourism council, Deane said they’re working on ways to maximize more local visitors, as travel trends could shift because of the federal tariffs.
They've made a shift from “kind of generic outreach to specific, interest driven storytelling,” she said, targeting people who are passionate about the craft beverage scene, arts and culture or farm-to-table events.
“We are one of the most rural [communities] in the Commonwealth, and our tax base is 75% residential. So when we think about how some of these larger scale shifts impact our local economy, I think one of our strengths is that we are deeply collaborative,” Deane said.
Since the pandemic, she said business groups and lawmakers have done a lot of work making sure strong partnerships are in place.
“So in a lot of ways, I think we just continue to do what we were already doing really well," Deane said, "which is thinking strategically and continuing to strengthen those collaborations across sectors.”
Adam Frenier contributed to this story.