Rain? So what. Ocean City, Rehoboth Beach pulls out successful summer 2018
Sara Swann
Despite rain in the first half of the summer, Ocean City officials still call the season a success.
The town received 10.46 inches of rain in May and another 5.82 inches in June — almost three times as much as last year, according to the National Weather Service.
This rainy weather did affect some of Ocean City's summer crowds and business, said Jessica Waters, town spokesperson.
Jolly Roger Amusement Park saw better business once the weather became warmer and sunnier later in the summer. The rain did somewhat affect business, but for the most part it was a pretty good summer, said Dean Langrall, director of sales and marketing for Jolly Roger.
"The last five weeks of summer were great. I wish it could have been like that earlier in the summer," Langrall said.
Since Jolly Roger has multiple parks, visitors could choose the ones that best fit the weather conditions, Langrall said. For colder or rainier days, visitors went on the go carts or rides. On warm, sunny days, people tended to visit the water park.
With the summer season winding down, Waters said overall she thinks the town had a great summer season this year. June was rainy and did affect some of the crowds and businesses, but August made up for it with nicer weather and hotter temperatures.
Another benefit to Ocean City this year was the extra week of summer due to school starting after Labor Day. This is the second year Maryland schools have started later after Gov. Larry Hogan made the announcement in 2016.
With schools starting later now, Waters said she has noticed the Boardwalk is more crowded around Labor Day than it has been in past years.
"It was refreshing to see these families spending the extra week in Ocean City," Waters said.
While the town's metrics report for August 2018 are not yet available, June's report showed an average high of 79 degrees and low of 65 degrees — almost the same as 2017 — but this year saw an additional 4.57 inches of rain in June alone.
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The rain continued into July, although Ocean City received slightly less precipitation this year than it did last July, according to the town's metrics report.
Lodging occupancy in June for Ocean City was at 74.1 percent — down almost 3 percent from last year, according to the metrics report. Room tax saw a 4 percent increase, so the total revenue for June was higher than last year.
This July also saw a decrease in occupancy from last year, with the percentage dropping from 85 percent in 2017 to 82.9 percent in 2018. Room tax increased this month by 1.7 percent, according to the metrics report.
This year's room tax revenue bump is likely due to the town's increased supply. Over the past few years, Ocean City has seen an increase in the number of hotels and motels, but the demand has not kept up with this, said Susan Jones, executive director of the Hotel Motel Restaurant Association.
Within the last two years, about 700 rooms have been added in Ocean City, accounting for a 7 percent increase in the town's accommodation supply, Jones said.
One reason the demand has not kept up is because more visitors are using Airbnb to find lodging, Jones said. Until the metrics reports for the rest of the summer are completed, though, officials won't know how much of an impact Airbnb has had on hotels and motels.
This summer's rainy weather did have some negative affects on hotel occupancy, as well as restaurant and other business owners, especially those with outdoor attractions, Waters said.
"But when the sun was out, so were the crowds," Waters said.
Ocean City saw the usual big crowds over holiday weekends and during events, such as Memorial Day and the White Marlin Open, Waters said.
Even though the Fourth of July was on a Wednesday this year, Waters said the town was still very busy around that time. Many people decided to make two vacation weekends out of it, one before the holiday and one after.
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Waters said she anticipates Ocean City will continue to see great crowds into September and the rest of the fall season due to the many events planned.
"What our tourism director, Donna Abbott, likes to say, 'There's life after Labor Day,' " Waters said.
Rehoboth and Dewey
The Delaware beaches saw a similar strong summer season with the only challenge coming from rainy weather in the late spring leading into summer months.
"Anytime there is bad weather, whether that's in summer or winter, it's going to impact visitation, and it did," said Carol Everhart, president and CEO of Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach's Chamber of Commerce.
Overall, accommodation occupancy for Rehoboth and Dewey was down slightly this year, Everhart said. From January to mid-August, the total number of rooms occupied on weekends was 84,389 — a decrease of roughly 5,000 rooms from the year before, according to Chamber of Commerce data.
This lower occupancy is most likely a result of competition coming from short-term internet rentals, such as Airbnb, as well as private rentals, Everhart said.
But midweek occupancy for Rehoboth and Dewey was very strong this year, Everhart said. From January to mid-August, the towns saw little change in occupancy totals compared to last year, according to Chamber of Commerce data.
Typically the area is busiest between July 15 and Aug. 15, when the weather is hot, Everhart said.
"Labor Day is no longer the last hurrah," Everhart said. "We’re so close to year-round. We’re definitely 52 extended weekends year-round."
Planning events throughout the year are key to keeping the area busy and boosting the local economy, Everhart said. For the remainder of September, there are six major events planned for Rehoboth and Dewey, plus about 14 other events in the months following.
Everhart said she hopes these events will help make up for the bad weather causing a dip in visitation earlier this year.
"The beach vibe was very strong this summer, both in Rehoboth and Dewey," Everhart said. "The Route 1 corridor continues to grow as a commercial and residential district each year."
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