RESTORE GREATER NEWPORT CALLS ON GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND INCOMING MCKEE ADMINISTRATION TO ENACT MEANINGFUL MEASURES TO AID REGION’S ECONOMY

RESTORE GREATER NEWPORT CALLS ON GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND INCOMING MCKEE ADMINISTRATION TO ENACT MEANINGFUL MEASURES TO AID REGION’S ECONOMY

Press Release was written by, Patti Doyle, media contact, 401-374-2553; patti.doyle@gmail.com

NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND, MARCH 2, 2021:  A well-organized coalition of business, tourism, hospitality, manufacturing and marine entities is calling on the General Assembly and the incoming McKee Administration to immediately enact measures to minimize the economic impacts of the Covid-19  pandemic and restore economic prosperity to the greater Newport region.

According to Erin Donovan- Boyle, executive director of the Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce and spokesperson for the Restore Greater Newport Task Force, the next 90 days will be some of the most critical for Rhode Island’s economy and the livelihood of business owners and residents. “We must adopt an economic recovery plan that specifically addresses actions that will build revenue momentum. While we have been working collaboratively for several months, we cannot continue to go it alone, nor can any single geographic region. Statewide support and assistance for our initiatives are critical if this region – and our state - is to successfully emerge from the devastation of the global pandemic.”

She continued, “While there is no denying the import the Newport hospitality, travel and tourism industries have on our state’s economy, we recognize that our challenges are similar to those experienced in other regions of this small state. For that reason, it is imperative that the state take a holistic approach to economic revitalization. We hope the Restore Greater Newport task force might serve as a model for effective collaboration between statewide public and private entities.”

Restore Greater Newport is a coalition of private, public and government entities working collaboratively since March of 2020 to minimize the impact of Covid-19. A key task force objective is to develop short term programs to support business retention and longer-term efforts to mitigate the negative economic impacts of the coronavirus. The group is focused on accelerating recovery by leveraging the  region’s tremendous assets (beaches, tourist destinations), and to be better prepared for future economic disruptions.
Members organizations in Restore Greater Newport Task Force include the Chamber, Discover Newport, the Rhode Island Hospitality Association, the Southeastern New England Defense Industry Alliance, the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association, Polaris MEP. “We all recognize quality of life is our greatest asset for talent attraction and business retention, so it was clear to us at the outset that all of our respective industries must work together to ensure the common goal of economic recovery,” noted Ms. Donovan-Boyle.

Specifically, the Task Force recommends the following action items:

1. Make permanent the Real Jobs RI program which provides support to industry-led partnerships to build demand-driven workforce solutions that address unique workforce challenges affecting employers. With Real Jobs RI, industries identify existing critical workforce opportunities and related training, then partners with RIDLT to execute solution-based efforts. Given the significant number of displaced workers, this program provides the opportunity for un and under-employed residents to re-engage immediately in the workforce and help them get the re-training resources they need.

2. A one year pause on new legislation and regulations that would add increased costs, administrative burdens, or operational complexities for the small business community – including the hospitality industry – that would in any other way negatively impact industries during this critical recovery phase.

3. Develop and clearly communicate the reopening plan to tourism, hospitality and retail on what will be required to host events, weddings, and conferences.

4. Identify state funding to support marketing activities to attract regional tourists.

5.  Develop a coordinated effort to work with business associations, their company members and municipal leaders to assess immediate economic and infrastructure needs to aggressively pursue Federal stimulus funding.

6. Build on the success - and lessons learned – of the CARES Act of Rhode Island Commerce Corporation programs that were rolled out in 2020, and gear up for implementation of refined programming with new stimulus dollars anticipated in the next round of state and federal monies.

• Unemployment in the Greater Newport region was at 7.5% in December 2020—5,158 workers—compared to the 2019 rate of less than 3%. 
• Jobs in the Greater Newport region are highly concentrated in the Accommodation & Food and Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation sectors. These sectors, which have seen large impacts in the form of layoffs and closures due to COVID-19 restrictions, also have high levels of “economically vulnerable” workers—those who work part-time, make less than $40K a year, and/or are self-employed.
• Tourism is a key sector in the Greater Newport region that faces major risk:
  • Monthly occupancy rates in Newport-area hotels at least 20% lower than 2019 rates since the start of the pandemic.
  • Monthly meal and beverage tax collections down almost 24% in the greater Newport region from Q3 2019 to Q3 2020.
  • Pell Bridge traffic only reached between 73% and 80% of prior year’s traffic since at least August.
  • Historic attractions attendance/revenue down as much as 80%.