Destiny Harbor Tours coping with decreased business during pandemic

Among the many businesses that have suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic is the tourism industry.

Destiny Harbor Tours, a boating-tour company based out of Gig Harbor, is one of those businesses that has seen a large impact on their model as they continue to follow the safety guidelines instructed by Gov. Inslee and the state of Washington.

“We are a business operator, we are enthusiastic about getting people out on the water,” said owner Tom Drohan. “What it means with COVID is that we were closed initially, like a lot of businesses. I would say our model, if you can imagine it, is like a restaurant. It’s not the same, but we have concerns that we are a business where the public comes to.”

Starting business in 2007, Drohan and his wife wanted to give people the opportunity to explore the Puget Sound up close and on the water at an affordable price.

What they offer are tours of the Puget Sound using two authentic U.S. Navy boats licensed by the coast guard to carry up to 33 people at one time. But as the pandemic greatly reduced how business can operate, Drohan adapted to the new normal.

“Because of the rules and pressure of COVID and all the rules and announcements by the governor and everything, the demand is lower,” Drohan said. “The demand is lower by a long shot. The entire tourism industry, which includes restaurants, hotels and attractions like ours, have all been deadened by the total restriction.”

Part of the specific guidelines that Destiny Harbor Tours has to follow are they have to have a written procedures for the business and staff on hand at all times. Those will outline what they will do to social distance on the boat.

Destiny Harbor Tour boats also have to be equipped with proper supplies like general cleaning sanitizer and hand sanitizer, mask requirements for crew and customers. They also have to mark off social distances in waiting areas.

“The whole thing that we are dealing with, all the industries, is that we’ve had no choice but to adjust to the mandates and in turn the traffic,” Drohan said. “Every business owner is going to have a different set of liabilities depending on their costs. It’s different to every individual and it’s a very big effect.”

Before the pandemic hit, Destiny Harbor Tours could ferry up to 33 people in both boats that cold traverse the water. With social distancing in place, these tours are now filled with less than ten people.

It has hit Drohan’s business hard, but he and his wife are still finding ways to keep themselves afloat, literally.

They’ve lowered costs on their services. Where once a private two-hour trip would cost over $700 for a party of 10, the rates have been reduced by over 40% down to around $450.

“We need to have some business. We are in a position to be able to offer that,” Drohan said. “It may hurt [our bottom line], but what would hurt worse is us not operating. There are larger competitors in Seattle that have actually closed their operation because they felt it was strategically better for them to close all together.”

What Drohan has are the type of boats and scale of business that allow for their smaller company to run and survive during these difficult times.

But like many people in Pierce, King and other counties that are still in a modified Phase 2 of the Washington’s phased approach to reopening businesses, Drohan and his company are looking forward to Phase 3 allowing for larger gatherings.

“Not only has our business has been squished down by the rules, I’m just really surprised that the demand has been cut off so much,” he said. “We still have business that we are serving, we’ve always been 50% local and 50% visitors. There are still a lot of people that are circulating our area from out of town.”

And even though there are people that are circulating in to ride these boats, every customer has been compliant and wore their masks to keep themselves safe.

Another layer of safety Destiny Harbor Tours has added is online booking. Doing so allows the customers to pay for their trip in the confines of their own space. The proof of purchase is sent to the customer and they are able to board the boat no problem.

That is just one silver lining that the pandemic has provided for Destiny Harbor Tours. It has allowed them to advertise on websites like Trip Advisor and gain visibility.

“We are giving the best tours that ever have even though the times are subdued as far as business,” Drohan said. “I mean, the quality and the presentation of what we have is still as good as ever, if not better. Our reviews are high and we’re working hard for what we do. It is what we love to do… When you come, it’ll be as safe as possible.”

This story was originally published August 26, 2020 at 12:00 AM.