The historic district of Ybor City in Tampa was once known as the Cigar Capital of the World. This area is home to a dozen cigar shops, which greatly suffered from COVID-19.
“It got to a point that we thought it was the end,” said Yanko Maceda, the owner of Tabanero Cigars.
The tourism industry has been one of the most affected by the pandemic. Santiago Corrada the CEO of Visit Tampa Bay did not anticipate such a dramatic impact.
“Everything came to a stop, so I’m sure that the impact in Ybor City was dramatic,” Corrada says. “The tourism industry was the hardest hit and the quickest.”
While more people get vaccinated every day in Florida and summer approaching, Maceda does not anticipate any short-term improvement for his business.
“Usually, we make most of our money between October and June,” he said. “That season did not happen, and I think the summer will be pretty tough.”
However, Maceda can still count on his regular visitors, as well as his delivery service.
