In California, Entrepreneurs Make Surfing Happen During Pandemic
Surf school adapts in Santa Barbara, a city reliant on tourism, recreation
Surf school co-owner Jenny Keet, pictured with sons Maddox (top) and Jack, has had to adapt her business during the pandemic.
Photographer: Credit: Sarah Fretwell/Bloomberg/Bloomberg(Editor’s note: This is the second in our “Stories of Summer” exploring the impact of Covid-19 on the global economy, telling the larger story of a once-in-a-multi-generational crisis through the voices of individuals and small businesses. For more, see {NI TICTOC BLC } on the Bloomberg terminal, visit @QuickTake on Twitter and see the YouTube playlist.)
Situated 100 miles north of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara delivers some of the best tourist attractions California has to offer: wine tasting, sunny beaches, Spanish-style architecture and, of course, surfing.
This summer, the Covid-19 pandemic has altered or put on hold many of the city’s most popular attractions, threatening an economy that attracts an estimated $1.9 billion of tourism spending annually, according to a Visit Santa Barbara report. Outdoor camps and surf schools that cater to large groups and rely on shared equipment — neither of which bode well in a coronavirus economy — have been particularly affected.