CREST HAVEN – The first page of Cape May County’s report on tourism and recovery begins, “Welcome back, it’s been a long two years.”
The thrust of the county’s May 25 tourism conference was on the robust rebound the county has experienced after the shock of the pandemic.
Tourism Director Diane Wieland reminded the audience at the county administration building that the losses from Covid were both sudden and large. While the county did better than many other areas of the state, there was a very real decline in tourism industry revenue of 21.1%, equating to $1.5 billion of lost visitor spending. As Wieland put it, “Seven years of growth was lost in one year.”
The good news was that almost all those losses were regained more quickly than anyone expected. Wieland has seen a 96% recovery rate, the best such recovery in the state. The benchmark for recovery is the record tourism year in 2019. In 2021, tourism revenue topped $6.6 billion, leaving the county just shy of the 2019 records. The 10.3 million visitors who traveled to Cape May County last year surpassed the number of visitors in 2019.
Optimistic about 2022, Wieland was careful to explain that post-pandemic, “we are looking at a very different customer, workforce and business model.”
“Heading into 2022, the labor shortages and supply chain interruptions will continue to impact our businesses,” Wieland cautioned.
She added the concern that “inflation will impact businesses and visitors.”
“The three biggest components of a household budget are housing, gasoline, and food,” the county’s report states, and these components “continue to be the largest contributors to inflation.”
Wieland said the 40-year high inflation rates are likely to have a dampening effect on discretionary spending.
Despite those concerns, Wieland exhibited confidence in the county’s ability to continue to expand visitations and spending. County efforts to expand the season, continued diversification in what the county offers beyond the beach experience, and a growing desire for outdoor experiences and drive-to destinations all work to increase the county’s appeal.
Wieland pointed to visitor profile data, showing that 96% of visitors said their vacations in the county met or exceeded expectations. For 63% of those who responded to the survey, the season involved more than one trip.
While the beach and dining top the list of attractions, as they always do, increasing numbers of visitors cite ecotourism, winery and brewery tours, and an interest in history and the county’s many historic locations. For Wieland, that diversity of offerings is critical to continued growth.
The county’s marketing efforts speak broadly to a variety of interests that link well with county assets. Those marketing efforts are also aimed at expanding the traditional areas that supply most of the county’s visitors.
The “A Tank of Gas Away” campaign speaks to visitors from mid-Atlantic locations. The county’s efforts to broaden the range of locations from which visitors come goes well beyond those who could make it here on a tank of gas.
With an easing of border restrictions with Canada, county tourism officials are busy wooing Canadian visitors, who, in pre-Covid days, made up 7% of total visitors. The campaign is called “Reconnect Canada.” Wieland and Jeffrey Vasser, executive director, New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism, have only recently returned from a trip to Quebec City, where they spoke about the county’s many attractions with local media and travel writers, among others.
While explaining the county’s many-faceted marketing efforts, Wieland also touched on the increasing use of social media in expanding the county’s reach and targeting customers. She spoke about the use of social media channels for messages tailored to the concerns over health safety with emphasis on the county’s “open spaces” and outdoor activities.
In all, the county’s tourism efforts proved themselves in the struggle with Covid’s impact on the tourism industry. They helped the county recover faster than many other areas of the state. Confidence at the conference was that those efforts are now well-positioned to help county tourism go beyond the record heights established in 2019.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.
