OCEAN VIEW – If you think you noticed more Quebec license plates or heard more French spoken while out shopping or dining the last few weeks, you’d be right because “they’re back.”
According to the county tourism director and at least one resort owner who feeds numbers to the county, the Canadians seem to have “adjusted” to an exchange rate that gives them about 75-cents American for each Canadian dollar spent and returned to vacation in Cape May County.
In addition, extensive marketing to the northern neighbors has proven to be a good investment on behalf of the county.
“We’ve had a good Canadian business for a long time,” said Scott Turner, who is one of the owners in his family’s campground and resort business in Ocean View.
“Over the years, though, the numbers come and go with the exchange rate. For many years, the rate was even but about two years ago. Their dollar was worth only 65-cents American. They’ve never really left, but this year is back to normal.”
Diane Wieland, county tourism director, works with Turner and other businesses to understand the characteristics and habits of the visitors because the county has a “one-of-a-kind” Canadian marketing program that’s continued since the mid-1970s.
The department had an office in downtown Montreal after realizing there was a growing number of visitors from the Province of Quebec who came to the local campgrounds and the Wildwoods in particular.
While that office closed, a French Canadian marketing firm now works with the county.
“French Canadians discovered the Jersey Cape in their trek for outdoor activities and warm ocean waters,” Wieland explained noting their winters are “long and cold.
“We were the first county in the U.S. to open a tourism office in a foreign country,” she added. “Campgrounds and motels in the Wildwoods hosted thousands of French Canadian families, with the highest concentration during the last two weeks of July, a two-week Construction Holiday in Canada.
“The investment has paid off,” Wieland said.
Wieland said Canadians from the Province of Quebec spend about $139 million in New Jersey while vacationing, 70 percent in Cape May County. Historically they like camping, but even that is starting to change.
“I think we saw a slump last year because of uncertainty with the political scene and the exchange rate,” Wieland said. “I think people re-thought their vacations and maybe instead of staying two weeks, they adjusted things and stayed seven to 10 days.”
Staying for that length of time also helps with what Wieland called “the mid-week slump” because of trends across the county that indicate visitors are coming for long weekends instead of weekly stays.
“I also think we’re starting to see the third generation come who want to share their experiences in Wildwood with their grandchildren,” she said. “The older generation is looking into alternate housing from the campgrounds; looking for a place where they can grill and spread out, so I think more are renting homes.”
Turner said their facility sees “almost all families” during a three-week period that ended mid-August.
He noted many seem to spend their days in Wildwood, enjoying the beaches, activities, and shopping, returning to the campgrounds at night.
“In talking with many of them, they like the environment here, and many parents spent their summer vacation in Wildwood,” Turner noted. “They want to give their kids that same experience.”
Over the years, Wieland said the county learned the Quebec Canadians like to drive while the Ontario market prefers flying. There are 13 regions around Montreal and “it’s a pretty straight run on three roads” to get here. With auto fuel at 99-cents a liter in Canada, they save on gas costs when they cross the border. (There are 3.785 liters in a gallon, thus $3.75 per gallon in Canada.)
More recently, Wieland and team have worked with the Canadian Automobile Association, Canadian television and radio stations, their travel channel programming, travel shows and advertising venues to entice visitors.
This past year, the Canadian travel channel spent three weeks filming across the county, showing off restaurants, beaches, wineries and all the other features the county offers.
“That started airing in April,” she said, “and we were featured in five of 13 episodes. They will re-run the show for three to five years so there’s a really good return on our investment that we should see.”
A food blogger spent time in the county, as well, according to Wieland, focusing on “boardwalk cuisine and how it’s more than just burgers and pizza. It now includes many farm-to-table sites and wineries, the oyster farms, just so much more.”
Although numbers aren’t in yet, anecdotally Wieland said she’s heard the French Canadians are back in force this year. She cited hearing French spoken more in stores, seeing Quebec license plates all over the county, and a large influx of French Canadians visiting a Sea Isle City restaurant which translated its menu into French and distributed it to area campgrounds.
Turner said his company advertises on social media, as well as participates in recreational vehicle shows with the state Campground Owners Association.
Other campgrounds are also active in the French Canadian market using the internet and social media forums to tout their offerings.
“We’re lucky because we have a one-of-a-kind county department which is strictly marketing and our businesses are really supportive of our efforts,” Wieland said. “We know they (the French Canadians) love Cape May County, the Wildwoods, our wide-open beaches and all we have to offer from top to bottom.”
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.
