Conflicting numbers on visitor statistics
With the economy in the tank and gas prices through the roof, everyone is arguing over whether Ocean City is seeing more or fewer visitors this year. Statistics on the matter are confusing and conflicting.
Last week, the Tourism Commission released numbers that said that while people were staying for a shorter time, more reservations were booked than last year. They were using online bookings as a measure, however. The Dispatch, one of Ocean City's local papers, reported a 600-room increase in bookings, but a 2 percent decline in nights rented.
Just to prove that a little number-fudging can spin a story however you want, the commission said that they had an increase from "roughly" $3.6 million to "approximately" $4 million in the room tax revenues this year. The key to the increase? A 0.5 percent jump in the room tax rate. Another local paper, Ocean City Today calculated that under the old tax rate, room revenues were actually down 2.1 percent. The room tax figures don't include under-the-counter condominium rentals, where owners don't buy rental licenses.
Many will be waiting with baited breath to see how the demoflush numbers are spun. While they are known to inflate the actual population figure, the standard is the same every year, so it's easy to compare changes in population while ignoring the actual amount of people in town.
The next confusing number: bus ridership. Some will say that a 13 percent increase in May bus riders was due to more people being in town. Others will say it was an early Memorial Day, or a response to high gas prices. Ocean City officials reported a 3 percent increase in June and a 1 percent increase in July. Nothing solid, of course, but it does show that more people are riding the buses, and little more.
Restaurants have felt the pinch, as vacationers conserve funds by eating in or grabbing a quick bite. Unfortunately, most of the fast food chains do not offer their Dollar or Value menus, and Subway only started carrying their $5 footlongs after extremely vocal patrons forced their hands. A completely random and totally unscientific poll of servers in restaurants suggested that some old standards, like the Greene Turtle, had an increase in customers, while some of the smaller and more expensive joints like Harrison's Harborwatch saw their figures slide.
I can see both sides of the argument. Traffic has definitely been lighter, as u-turns and crossing the highway have been easier than ever. On the other hand, I've seen 3-hour-long waits at the Greene Turtle North and long lines at Trimper's. (I've never understood why someone would wait three hours to eat at a bar, but I'd definitely wait for hours to ride the Tidal Wave roller coaster.) Most of the crowds have been on weekends, and some bars have been deserted on weekdays. I went to Fish Tales on a Wednesday and found myself and two friends to be the only ones at the bar at 1 a.m., which almost never occurs. It felt like May, but it was mid-August.
While some establishments are posting record numbers every week, others are struggling to make their tax and rent payments. It will be interesting to see how the landscape changes next year. With an abundance of empty, unsold condominiums, developers will be less likely to bail out a failing business and build something new on top.
What have you experienced? Are there any beach workers who can say that their shops have been packed or deserted?
Comments
We absolutely felt there were less people around on our visit this year. The boardwalk felt less crowded, the highway was nothing like it's been in past years, even the beach felt emptyish. Even the weekends didn't feel overcrowded to me this time around. I'm hoping this doesn't force some of the OC regulars to close up shop....I can't imagine this has been good for them.
Posted by: Holly | August 19, 2008 1:36 PM
Whether there are more or fewer vacationers each year, who knows what to believe. But one thing is certain: the number of terrible drivers with Pennsylvania tags always seems to increase.
Posted by: Dave | August 19, 2008 2:23 PM
Where did you get your information about the Harborwatch? Did you have an insider feeding you information?
Posted by: Dave C | August 20, 2008 1:55 AM
We went for our fifth annual family vacation Aug 2-9 and my wife and I actually disagreed on this very topic! I thought it was MORE crowded both on the beach and coastal highway than the same week last year; she said it was about the same. Did the White Marlin Open increase traffic? I don't recall if the WMO was held the same week in 2007. Monday evening, Aug 4 the boardwalk was as crowded as a Friday/Saturday night. I was expecting fewer people since supposedly these are hard times but it didn't seem less crowded to us that week.
Posted by: Joe | August 20, 2008 1:30 PM
In response to Joe, I was there the same week and we have been going down this same week for as long as I can remember...more than 10 years. The Marlin Open is always that week and in past years, traffic for that event alone always felt worse. In general, it felt much less crowded to me. I can't remember a time when we could go from 1st street up into the mid 20's without catching at least one red light. We didn't even sit in Rt 90 bridge traffic to get over the bay on Saturday morning....I didn't see hordes of people waiting in line for the bus. I didn't see trams packed with people catching a ride to the inlet or returning later at night....There were hardly any lines at the amusements...I don't know but it felt less crowded to me!
Posted by: Holly | August 21, 2008 12:38 PM
I was also down 8/2 to 8/9 and I agree that is the busiest I have seen it in a long time. It was just as busy as July 1 to July 6 when I was also down there and that was over independence day.
Posted by: pstroms | August 21, 2008 1:52 PM
I think Trimpers may have a bigger slides for kids than the 5-8% average "slide" in business that most restaurants and bars experienced memorial day to labor day. You are correct, Ocean City was a little less crowded this year however the fourth of july traffic jams were present as were the weekend backups at the inlet parking lot . Talking to customers we learned that most people were taking 3-4 day trips in summer and planning a follow-up weekend in september/october. anyone in town will tell you that september and october were great months for business and travelers alike. sure it was slower this year a bit but so are many places right now. And yes, some places may not return next year, however it must be noted that it would not be wintertime in OC without the winterfest of lights, the penguin swim , or a constant flow of rumors that change like tides regarding buinesses that are opening/closing/moving/sold/ etc etc. The fact remains that Ocean City continues to offer a great family experience within a short drive for millions of people in VA/PA/DE/MD/NJ/NY. Thank you to everyone who visited this year, I hope that everyone enjoys this town as much as the hard working people that call it home. Have a great holiday season.
Jeb Vetock
General Manager
Harrison's Harbor Watch Restaurant and Raw Bar
Posted by: jeb vetock | December 3, 2008 8:52 PM