Summer tourist towns hope for recovery as crowds return after COVID

Popular coastal towns are hoping for large crowds as restrictions lift.

On Cape Cod, the only thing as sure as the seafood and lighthouses is the region's dependence on summer tourism. But when the coronavirus pandemic hit last spring, maybe no industry was more impacted than seaside getaways. There were no vacationers doling out for rentals, there were no diners to sit at beachside restaurants and there was no one to ride rollercoasters or waterslides. Most of the businesses didn't open at all. Water Wizz, a water park in East Wareham, Massachusetts, has been in business for over 30 years. The park has been featured in films such as "Grown Ups" and "The Way Way Back," but due to the pandemic, its slides ran completely dry all last year. This summer, Patricia Kells is hoping to make up for lost time. "Last summer was the hottest summer that I can remember since I've been in business," Kells, Water Wizz's president, told ABC News. "It was the best summer ever to have a waterpark, and it was shut down, and that was very painful to endure."