Tourism is up at local beach destinations, but the summer’s scorching temperatures have scalded the bottom line for some coastal business owners.
Maryland, Delaware and Virginia tourism officials say vacationers tend to stick close to home during a down economy. And with roughly 20 million people within a four-hour drive of their shores, the Washington region’s coastal getaways are reaping the rewards of a foundering national economy.
Ocean City tourism spokeswoman Donna Abbott said her Maryland town’s beaches have been packed this summer, and taxes collected from rental properties and hotels are up roughly 7 percent from a year ago.
“We’ve had absolutely gorgeous weather, which always helps,” she said.
Abbott said she has received positive feedback from local businesses, and had noticed a lot of “no vacancy” signs glowing outside of local hotels.
“It’s been a very good summer, we’re definitely up over last year,” said Jay Knerr, owner of Ocean City’s Kite Loft stores.
Knerr said he was a bit surprised by the boost in business. But he said hotels were packed, tourists were everywhere and they seemed to be ready to shop.
Carol Everhart, president of the Rehoboth Beach Chamber of Commerce, also reported tourism numbers were up this year. But she said not all businesses were experiencing the same uptick.
“The category that has had the most volatility has been retail,” Everhart said. “Those businesses could have an extremely good week, and then the next week’s not so good.”
The sweltering weather conditions were to blame, according to Bitsy Cochran, owner of Monograms Unlimited in Rehoboth.
“I think the heat has not helped us at all,” Cochran said.
She said tourists visiting her shop and other stores were spending more than they had last year, a good sign that the economic rebound was loosening shoppers’ purse strings.
The problem, Cochran said, is that no one wants to leave the beach when the mercury approaches the triple digits.
The summer of 2010 is shaping up to be one of the hottest on record, with temperatures in June, July and August routinely topping 90 degrees.
“I think if we didn’t have the blistering heat day after day business would be better,” Cochran said.
Despite the heat, many Rehoboth business owners said the summer has been good.
Sherri Martin, owner of the Hotel Rehoboth, said she had to lower her rates the last two years to weather the economic downturn, but was “astounded” at the consistent stream of tourists reserving rooms at her hotel this year.
“We’re happy and thankful, what else can you say in this economy?” Martin said.
