Businesses concerned over workers during tourism season

Biloxi, Miss. (WXXV)- As the summer travel season heats up, Mississippi’s tourism industry is facing a familiar challenge: not enough workers.

From museums to shrimping boats, businesses are trying new ways to stay afloat.

David Graham spent years in the Air Force.

Now, he’s back on the Mississippi Coast — not in uniform, but on the deck of a shrimping boat.

“I really like being around people, especially the families we get on the boat,” said Graham, a seasonal employee of the Biloxi Cruise Company. “And the kids are just absolutely enthralled at holding a shrimp and a crab and a fish and it really puts a smile on their face – and that puts a smile on my face too.”

Graham represents a commodity in Mississippi’s tourism industry — an industry that’s struggling to find enough workers to handle the summer rush.

Michael Moore, who runs the Biloxi Shrimping Trip excursion, says seasonal help like Graham keeps his business going.

“I’d like to find somebody that’s going for the second career, maybe someone retired that has an income and wants a side income,” said Moore.

From boat tours to bayou walks, Mississippi’s peak tourism season is short — and intense.

That puts pressure on small businesses to find quick, reliable help.

At the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi, David Houston leans on local volunteers to keep up with big summer events.

“We have events with up to 140 or 150 people. Without volunteers, it would overwhelm our staff of 10.”

Danielle Morgan is the Executive Director at the Mississippi Tourism Association.

She says a shrinking pool of student workers and shifting school calendars are adding to the strain.

“That’s creating serious issues for seasonal attractions that count on student labor.”

That means thinking beyond just summer jobs.

Morgan says year-round training, sustainable tourism, and job sharing may be key to building a stronger workforce.

With 43 million visitors each year and over 133,000 tourism jobs statewide, Mississippi’s fourth-largest industry is growing — and leaning on people like Graham to make it through the season.

“I see myself as an ambassador to get people to smile and enjoy their trip down here,” said Graham.