Chambers Upbeat But Cautious About Summer Season

Despite considerable uncertainty over the country’s economy and the prospect of a falloff in international visitors, especially from Canada, local chamber of commerce officials remain upbeat about the approaching summer season.

 Chamber directors contacted by The Chronicle said they have heard some concerns from their members and are monitoring the national news for developments that could impact the Cape’s tourist industry.

 “We’re hearing all kinds of things,” said Harwich Chamber Executive Director Cyndi Williams. 

“People are watching all facets, such as the stock market, before they make their decisions,” she said. “For the summer, we’re watching every day, it’s changing, so I’m not ready to make a prediction yet. But we are optimistic.”

 There’s been a lot of speculation about how the Trump administration’s war of words with Canada will impact the summer. Canadians are reliable Cape visitors, and while the expectation is that Canadians will still visit the Cape this summer, it may not be in the same numbers as in previous years, said Chatham Chamber Director Angela Bucar.

"I have heard from chambers in Canada that say that people are still coming to Cape Cod," concurred Orleans Chamber Director Judy Lindahl. "I have heard from (Massport) that they're not sure what their numbers are going to show."

 Shifting policies in Washington don’t help, she added.

"We have to play that ball as it lies, but the ball is being changed every single time," she said. "So I just have to reach out to our businesses and understand that they are just pivoting day to day, and they're able to do that. So whatever we can do to support them is really all that we can do." Williams added that at a recent Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce meeting, local officials were warned that Canadian tourists were cutting back on visits to the U.S.

But while much remains up in the air, Lindahl said she's optimistic that businesses will benefit from another busy tourist season this summer.

“We might not get people that generally do the two-week vacations, but I'm hoping that we get a lot of people that do long weekends," she said.

Brewster Chamber Director Kyle Hinkle said international travelers have been trending downward in recent years, but they still make up just a fraction of domestic visitors. In Brewster, many summer visitors return year after year and stay in the same inn or rental, “so occupancy is anticipated to be good,” she wrote in an email. 

Williams said she is hoping for good news from the “drivable market,” those people along the East Coast who traditionally come to the Cape by car. While she’s heard mixed reports from chamber members, she remains cautiously optimistic.

“We expect impacts,” she said.