Outdoors, Contactless Technology New Trends For Tourism

When the pandemic shut down the world 18 months ago, Gabriel and Marianna Fregoso decided to finally invest in something they’d only ever rented: an RV.

The Houston residents sat outside their RV untangling porch lights at the Jamaica Beach RV Park, 17200 FM 3005, on a sunny Friday in September.

“It was going to be hard to travel,” Gabriel Fregoso said. “We like to travel. Everything was closed. Texas is beautiful.”

Now, the family, with their daughter Francesca and dog Santos, travel once a month and enjoy visiting Galveston and the beach.

The pandemic threw the tourism and hospitality industries into temporary chaos. But some of the changes and adaptations meant to help people keep their distance helped the RV industry and added new services at hotels.

The contactless technology and moves toward self-guided and outdoor activities that became staples of pandemic tourism likely will have long-term effects and remain relevant long after normal travel resumes.

Since the initial lockdown ended in May, Galveston’s East End Lagoon and Dellanera RV Park have become increasingly popular, said Michael Woody, chief tourism officer for the Galveston Park Board of Trustees.

The park board manages the parks and island beaches.

Outdoor activities are really growing in popularity, he said.

“We’re seeing that people are leaning into those types of experiences,” Woody said. “Motor home sales, or mobile home sales, really went through the roof during the pandemic.”

Read the full article from the Galveston County Daily News here.