Coastal towns ready for economic boom ahead of holiday weekend

MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. (WITN) - We are just a few short days away from Independence Day which means a lot of people are starting to head to the coast for the holiday weekend.

Independence Day is one of a few weekends beach towns are excited for.

Jack Huddle works at YellowFin Pub in Morehead City and says when the pandemic hit last year, the owners of the pub were worried.

The Crystal Coast Visitor Center said compared to last year, the economic boom will be much more robust, with restrictions from COVID having been lifted, people are ready to get out of their homes and head to the coast.

Even tourists say they know how important tourism is to areas like this.

The visitor center said they’ve already had a record year so far.

The Crystal Coast Visitors Center said last year, tourism was up 40% from 2019 and they anticipate to exceed that number this year

The visitors center also says the traffic will increase so be mindful if you’re traveling towards the coast this weekend.

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