FORECASTER • July 8, 2021
The city council is scheduled to remove Portland’s pandemic emergency order July 19. Now, with vaccination rates up and positive cases down, tourists are flocking to Portland and other popular Maine locations again. But many in the hospitality industry say they are lacking the workers needed to operate at pre-pandemic levels. Matt Lewis, president and CEO of HospitalityMaine, said, “I know there will be hotels, resorts and restaurants that will say they will have their best year ever, which is good news coming off a pandemic.” There may not be enough people to serve seasonal visitors this year, however.