![]() ![]() Wieland, who has been a county employee for 49 years, said there is one overwhelming theme to vacations in Cape May County – nostalgia. The county is also seeing more Ohio and Connecticut tourists making Cape May County their vacation spot. New Jersey is second at 28 percent and New York third at 21 percent. Thirty percent of the tourists come from Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is the primary feeder market for Cape May County tourism. Wieland noted that another reason for the growth is the greater availability of rental properties in Cape May County compared to other counties closer to New York, such as Monmouth County. It’s better than before.” The Ocean City Boardwalk bustles with visitors enjoying the start of the Memorial Day weekend.Īnother growth area in the tourism market is coming from New York residents, who are learning that the county is not too far to travel for vacation. Wieland said Cape May County is “reconnecting” with the Canadian market and is telling Canadians, “Come on back. Now that the border has reopened, Cape May County is seeing a return of Canadian tourists. However, the U.S.-Canadian border was essentially closed off because of COVID in 20. In the past, a big chunk of visitors to Cape May County came from Canada. “We had more people come to Cape May County last year than the entire population of New Jersey,” she said. Underscoring the success of the tourism industry, there were 11.3 million visitors to Cape May County in 2022. ![]() She noted that New Jersey has a total population of 9.2 million residents. Wieland said the sheer number of visitors showcases the love of Cape May County as a vacation destination. Cape May County outpaced all other counties in food and beverage spending, retail, recreation and second home rentals in 2022, figures show. Overall, Cape May County’s tourism spending increased from $6.6 billion in 2021 to $7.4 billion in 2022. “Everything we lost in 20, we were able to recoup in 2022. Michael Testa, Cape May County Tourism Director Diane Wieland, Cape May County Board of Commissioners Director Leonard Desiderio and state Assemblyman Antwan McClellan look at the 2022 tourism report.įigures released at the conference highlighted the strong comeback the county made in 2022 in a broad array of economic and tourism categories.Ĭape May County Tourism Director Diane Wieland said visitors came in bigger numbers than ever and they spent on attractions, lodging, dining and more. “Not only did we recover from the impacts of COVID, we surpassed 2019 in direct tourism spending by $500 million, recouping the losses of 20.” From left, state Sen. “Never has Cape May County seen such growth in visitor spending as we did in 2022,” he said. “Memorial Day was one of the best, and reservations booked at our hotels, motels and campgrounds are indicating a great summer,” said Desiderio, who is also mayor of Sea Isle City.ĭesiderio also noted that despite inflation challenges, “people want and need to travel and the Jersey Cape has what they want in a vacation destination.” ![]() He said the 2023 tourism season is already seeing strong numbers and appears to be heading for another record year. “Fifty-five percent of our visitors last year took two or more trips to Cape May County.” “Visitors are learning we are more than a beach destination,” Cape May County Board of Commissioners Director Leonard Desiderio said at the county’s tourism conference Tuesday. The county enjoyed a record number of visitors who were attracted to the beaches, boardwalks, restaurants, shopping, ecotourism, the Cape May County Park & Zoo, historic sites and wineries. Cape May County's beaches continue to be a primary attraction to tourists.Ĭape May County came roaring back from the COVID-19 pandemic for a record-high $7.4 billion in direct tourism spending in 2022 and signs are already pointing to another banner summer this year. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |