DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. — Despite the recent surge of COVID-19 cases in Florida, tourism is still going strong in Volusia County.


What You Need To Know

  • Tourism still strong in Volusia County

  • Central Florida has seen a surge of COVID-19 cases

  • Some business owners says they aren't seeing an impact from the surge but remain cautious 

However, it's something industry leaders say they are keeping an eye on.

At The Shores Resort and Spa, even on a Wednesday, summer is in full swing.

“I mean here we are midweek you look at the business at our hotel and out at the beach… it is packed,” resort general manager Robert Burnetti said.

But with a new surge of COVID-19 cases across Central Florida, Burnetti remains cautious.

“It does concern me that it is starting to happen again but from a business perspective we haven’t really had any impact just yet,” Burnetti said.

According to the Department of Health in Volusia County, Florida experienced a 61% increase in cases in the last seven days. Volusia County cases have increased by 75% during this same time period – from 1,705 cases to 2,976 cases. Despite that, Burnetti shared that so far they are not seeing any cancellations.

“People aren't going to change their plans just yet based on what they are hearing, but every day we are keeping an eye on the news, watching what is going on," Burnetti said. "It is on the back of our minds at all times.” 

Over at Daytona Beach International Airport, which was just named commercial service airport of the year by the Florida Department of Transportation, officials say they are experiencing the same thing. While precautions are still in place, airport staff say they’ve seen no signs of travel slowing down.  

“June was the first month that we have seen where we were only 1% down as far as traffic numbers compared to June of 2019, and so that is the closest month that we have had to normalcy pre-pandemic, “ said Joanne Magley, director of Marketing and Customer Experience at Daytona Beach International Airport.

As for Burnetti, he shared that they are talking to employees and guests about following protocols to stay safe. He is hoping to finish out the summer on a high note before things slow down in the fall.

“If there is an impact of COVID, if I lose more people, if I lose more people, if the labor shortage gets any worse it is really going to make things a lot harder for everybody,” he said.

According to the Department of Health in Volusia County, the agency is currently investigating 58 active outbreaks of COVID-19.