Massachusetts might seem like a freezing tundra during the winter, but it’s always had lovely summers. Thousands flock every year to Cape Cod in the southern part of the state to enjoy fresh seafood, pristine beaches, and the summer sun.
That might be changing.
According to the Boston Globe, Cape Cod beach house rentals, usually a hot commodity, aren’t doing so well this year. Hotel rentals are down 5% this year after a decade of consistent growth, according to the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.
The Globe interviewed one landowner offering her home out for its usual rental at a $1,100 discount. Noreen Cahalane said, “Usually I’m fully rented. I think people are staying away.”
What’s to blame?
Last summer featured Massachusetts’ first deadly shark attack since the 1930s. A college student, 26-year-old Arthur Medici was killed while boogie boarding about 40 yards off the beach. The tragedy might have discouraged some families from planning their next big beach vacation.
Or, perhaps the drop is self-inflicted. Massachusetts slapped a hotel tax on home beach rentals for the first time ever this year, effective July 1. Bay State residents are no stranger to new taxes, but it seems out-of-state visitors may have been put off by the roughly 15% increase in rental prices caused by the tax hike.
Property owner John Salsberg told the Globe: “I think that the worst sharks…are the politicians who imposed the 12.45% tax on short-term rentals for properties owned by individuals who are just trying to rent out their summer home for a few weeks over the summer.”
The law was meant to level the playing field between traditional hotels and home rentals. But while these results might please the hotel lobby on Beacon Hill, things aren’t working out too well for vacationers who just want to go to the beach.
