The travel and tourism economy in western Massachusetts is expected to feel the impact of President Donald Trump鈥檚 sweeping tariffs, if and when they're reinstated. for 90 days this afternoon, except for tariffs on Chinese goods.
鈥淭he enemy of travel is a decline in disposable income,鈥� 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 鈥� or they'll make the decision to not travel at all, affecting Berkshire county across the board.
鈥淲hen you look at our economy, there [are] multiple sectors,鈥� Butler said. 鈥淭he cultural economy, hospitality, food and agriculture, health and wellness, performing arts, outdoor recreation 鈥� you know all of those will potentially feel some impact from tariffs and overall consumer spending power.鈥�
Putting 鈥渞adical tariffs鈥� in place Butler said, without any 鈥渕ethodology鈥� is alarming. Trump's sudden pause on the tariffs .
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鈥檚 regional tourism councils.
鈥淲e are close to major population bases like New York and Boston,鈥� Wydra said. 鈥淭hose 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.鈥�
The tariffs will have an indirect impact on tourism, Wydra said echoing Butler, 鈥渋f other items that are being taxed are going to cost more, travelers could potentially have less discretionary income to spend,鈥� she said.
Their plan, Wydra said, is to continue to promote western Mass. as a great 鈥渧alue destination.鈥�
鈥淵ou know, [the region offers] such a variety of accommodations and attractions and dining establishments,鈥� Wydra said. 鈥淚 think we're a good pick for people who might be watching their pennies.鈥�
Franklin County鈥檚 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.
鈥淸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,鈥� 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 鈥� with more than 800 farms 鈥� Deane said she will be watching how the tariffs impact local farmers.
鈥淭hey 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鈥檙e working on ways to maximize more local visitors, as travel trends could shift because of the federal tariffs.
They've made a shift from 鈥渒ind of generic outreach to specific, interest driven storytelling,鈥� she said, targeting people who are passionate about the craft beverage scene, arts and culture or farm-to-table events.
鈥淲e 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,鈥� Deane said.
Since the pandemic, she said business groups and lawmakers have done a lot of work making sure strong partnerships are in place.
鈥淪o 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.鈥�
Adam Frenier contributed to this story.
