MAC Report Reveals Visitors’ Origins

CAPE MAY – A ticketing system installed in 2016 for the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities (MAC) shows that visitors attending organizational events come from near and far. However, the majority of visitors still come from New Jersey, mostly from outside Cape May County. 
Although not required, more than half of those buying tickets to MAC events last year, or 57.6 percent, provided zip-code information. This information, compiled in a report just released, is used to help direct marketing and advertising efforts and dollars, as the organization’s calendar of events now spans 12 months of the year.
“There really aren’t any huge surprises in the numbers,” said Susan Krysiak, director of media relations, MAC, although she did note that there were “slight changes that were interesting to see” when comparing 2017 to 2016.
The “08204” zip code showed up for 13 percent of the respondents, representing 28 percent of visitors from the state in 2017. “This was by far the most interesting, but not surprising,” she said, explaining more attendees came from Villas and Rio Grande in 2017, and fewer came from Ocean City, Wildwood Crest, and Court House zip codes compared to 2016.
“We’re always trying to reach the local folks,” she said, recounting that MAC’s mission is to provide year-round activities to help extend the tourism season.
Overall, 206,760 people bought tickets to MAC activities and more than half provided their zip code in 2017. According to Krysiak’s report, visitors came from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and various Armed Forces zones.
Only about two percent fewer tickets were sold in 2016, according to the report, but two-thirds of the 2016 respondents provided zip code information.
In addition, more people came from outside the U.S. in 2017 compared to the previous year, about two-thirds of those from Canada. Only 680 visitors were non-U.S. visitors in 2017, 67 more than in 2016.
About 100 visitors came from the United Kingdom, followed by Germany, France, Australia, Denmark, Ireland, and Sweden. Only a handful of visitors came from Belgium, Israel, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, India, New Zealand, Austria, Brazil, Portugal, Singapore, Italy, and Mexico.
The largest number of MAC ticket buyers were from New Jersey, representing 46 percent of the total, the same in 2016 and 2017.  They were followed by Pennsylvania (half as many sales), New York, and Massachusetts. The top four states were the same in 2016, but the numbers were larger in 2017.
“Pennsylvania has the largest number of second homeowners in Cape May County,” noted Diane Wieland, Cape May County’s tourism director. “Over half of all New Jersey second homeowners have a home in Cape May County; 47 percent of our dwellings are second homes, the highest in the state.”
From a county perspective, most visitors come from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland/District of Columbia, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. “The strong response from the New England states helps us direct our efforts in terms of travel shows we attend, where we advertise, how we advertise and what we advertise,” Wieland said.
Although Krysiak would not disclose MAC’s advertising budget, saying “it’s small, we’re a not-for-profit, and we don’t have a large advertising budget,” she did say the zip code information is shared with their partners: Wieland at the county level, and the City of Cape May’s Director of Marketing, Laurie Taylor.
According to Taylor, the City of Cape May attempts to get demographic information when people buy tickets for the concert series, but, since it is not required, many buyers do not provide it. “A lot of our events are free, so it’s very difficult to get any information from attendees,” she said. “We use MAC’s information as we pool resources to buy advertising in target markets, attend travel shows, and target the media.”
Wieland said representatives were at the Philadelphia Flower Show, giving out brochures and information about the county. “We know a lot of people will come by to get our information,” she noted, “and it helps save mailing costs. It’s a good place to provide information about our county and reach a large audience.”
In 2017, Krysiak’s report showed 17 percent of the total zip codes were from Cape May County, representing 37 percent of the visitors from New Jersey zip codes. In 2016, Cape May County was represented nearly the same, at 17 percent of the total and 38 percent of the state.
“It’s quite notable that 83 percent of our total visitors in both 2016 and 2017 came from outside Cape May County,” Krysiak added.
“People come to Cape May, but to get here they come through Cape May County,” Krysiak pointed out. “We do know during January and February we get more of a local crowd, but that could include people from Philadelphia who come down because they are second homeowners. Knowing and sharing this information with our partners helps us determine the types of programs we offer and who our audience is.”
One program option MAC recently instituted was self-guided tours of the Physick Estate to reach more people with different preferences. “We found people like both,” she said, comparing tour-guide tours with the self-guided tour. “At MAC, we’re always having conversations about what types of programs to have. We don’t want to lose the quality, and we have to balance them with the number of volunteers and staff we have.
“We’re happy with the numbers we’re getting,” Krysiak stated. “It’s good that we can offer year-round programs that ebb and flow with the summer season. It gives tourists the ability to see our city during the summer, and it gives our full-time residents a chance to re-connect during the winter.”
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.