Season roller-coastering to July 4; hotel numbers are strong

After an early but solid Easter holiday, a cool and wet May, a sunny and busy Memorial Day weekend, and a soft June, the business roller-coaster ride leading up to the July Fourth weekend has been just about predictable.

Matt at Quest Kayaks said the cooler weather has brought a slow start to the season. Amy at Notting Hill Coffee in Lewes said “2016 won’t be 2014” but it’s finally starting to pick up. Amy said she thinks the Lewes Historical Complex being closed this year to events due to a major grounds project is a factor. Tom, former proprietor of King’s Ice Cream, said two decades of business showed presidential election years as tricky and often off. Zack at Chick-fil-A on the highway said business is strong this year and really picking upn and Carole at Lewes Realty said rentals this year are up 20 percent over last year.

Betsy at Lewes Chamber of Commerce said the May weather, especially including rainy weekends, brought a slow start to the season. “But it’s really cranking up this week,” she said. Garden Tour numbers were about average, she said. “I think they would have been stronger except for the perception ­- and it was only perception ­- that the Firefly Festival in Dover that weekend created traffic problems. That might have kept some people from coming down.”

The strongest positives about the 2016 tourist economy come from Scott Thomas, director of Southern Delaware Tourism. “I know a lot of businesses are trying to make up for a lousy May but we’re showing strong numbers across the county,” said Thomas. One of the most important numbers he looks at is monthly accommodation tax totals. “That’s the money the state collects from a tax on hotel and motel rooms. What those numbers are showing us is that every one of the first five months into May have run ahead ­ with significant percentages ­ from the same months in 2015. Accommodation tax collections for May were up 25 percent over 2015; April was up 14 percent and March was up 28 percent. Those are just Sussex numbers. The lion’s share of that money comes from the Rehoboth and Dewey ZIP codes and Lewes.”

Thomas noted that occupancy rates are on the rise, as is seasonally expected. “Visitation peaks from now through September. We should be seeing 85 percent on Fridays and Saturdays. For Sunday through Thursday, we should start improving from the low 60s hopefully into the 70 percent range. Of course we focus on augmenting the weekends since we are a getaway location. One important aspect of these tax numbers is that room rates are holding up well.”

Thomas said events at Sports at the Beach in Georgetown and the Beach Blast lacrosse tournament in Lewes last weekend make a big difference in June occupancy. So, let the games begin. The Fourth of July weekend for 2016 has finally arrived.

Thanks to our readers
We’re fortunate at the Cape Gazette in having loyal readers who contribute so much to each edition. John McDowell of Rehoboth Beach recently brought us items from a collection of Jeanette McDowell’s. One shows a shipwreck on Rehoboth Beach of folk singer Burl Ives’ sailing ketch Black Spoonbill. The photo appears on page 7. He also brought us an old promotional map of Rehoboth Beach from the late 1800s that boasts spacious lots and “no malaria.” Take a look at my column at capegazette.com for a picture of the map.

All in all the news doesn’t change much from century to century. Just the names of the actors.