Dare occupancy down nearly 25%, meals off over 12% in April
The continued “reset” of visitation to Dare County in 2024 was reflected in April’s key tourism-related economic indicators.
According to figures presented to the Dare County Tourism Board at their meeting on Thursday, occupancy collections in April were down 24.55% and meals collections were off by 12.25% compared to the previous year.
Through the first four months of the year, gross collections by hotels, motels and vacation rentals are down by 24.05% from 2023, while prepared food sales are off by 8.5%.
Retail sales in the month of March were also down when compared to last year by 2.23%, with the total first quarter showing a decline of 2.7%.
“We were expecting a drop (in April), given that Easter was in March this year,” said Outer Banks Visitors Bureau Executive Director Lee Nettles in a video posted Friday.
While occupancy and meals income in Dare County was up thanks to Spring Break and holiday visitors, numbers continue to fall in line with what industry officials expected to see immediately after the boom of late 2020 and through 2021 that following the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Data released last week shows the number of visitors at the area’s most popular sites along the Outer Banks through May has also declined when compared to the previous three years.
Gross occupancy collections totaled $33,495,901. That’s the third highest April all-time, trailing only 2022 ($45,219,347) and 2023 ($43,812,778).
Between January and April, gross occupancy income was $88,196,825. It’s the first time since 2020 that occupancy totals for the first four months of the year did not exceed $100 million.
The only occupancy category not to see a decline for the month was Other Rental Properties (+4.59%). Cottages were off 6.52%, Property Management Agencies -23.14%, Motel/Hotel -23.98%, Timeshares -29.02%, Online Travel Companies -27.71%, Campgrounds -34.89% and Bed and Breakfast -70.14%.
For the year, Other Rental Properties are up 7%, and Cottages are up 0.39%. Online Travel Companies are down 14.38%, Motel/Hotel -14.97%, Bed and Breakfast -22.38%, Timeshares -25.21%, Property Management Agencies -25.65%, and Campgrounds -29.89%.
Hatteras Island had the biggest decline for April (-34.94%), followed by the Northern Beaches -20.07%, and Roanoke Island/Mainland -16.82%.
Across 2024, Hatteras Island has decline by 63.78%, Roanoke Island/Mainland -9.05% and Northern Beaches -4.61%.
Revenues from prepared meal and beverage sales that are taxed 1% in Dare County totaled $26,222,012. It’s the third highest Gross Meals Sales in April, trailing 2023 ($29,222,0132) and 2022 ($29,762,315), and just ahead of 2021 ($26,101,925).
Gross Meals have topped $20 million in every April since 2019, except when restaurants could not seat patrons in North Carolina and access to Dare County was closed to visitors and non-resident property owners because of the coronavirus in 2020.
Between January and April, meals sales totaled $69,754,147. That is the third highest total behind 2023 ($76,231,497) and 2022 ($72,182,396).
Hatteras Island had the biggest drop in meals totals in April (-19.6%), followed by the Northern Beaches (-12.1%) and Roanoke Island (-0.63%).
Retail sales in Dare County in March were at $4,732,495. It’s the fourth straight year topping $4 million in March, and the second-best March all-time behind only last year’s $4,840,202 and ahead of 2022’s $4,179,805.
Total retail sales through the first quarter of 2024 were $15,625,561, second highest all-time (2023, $16,059,323) and the third straight first three months of the year that surpassed $15 million.
Overall retail sales in 2023 set an new all-time high of $116,639,257, continuing the streak of growth to four years in a row.
In other news from the June 20 meeting, Nettles said the board heard an overview of the Outer Banks overall plan for the coming fiscal year from their marketing agency Hoffman York and social media strategist Ignite Hi.
A special, free webinar for OBVB marketing partners will be held on July 10 at 9:30 a.m. Click here to register.
A grant extension was approved for Outer Banks Forever for funds designated to the Cape Hatteras Light Station multi-use path, which is slated to be finished in August.
The project has been delayed due to a variety of factors.
Another extension was granted to the Roanoke Island Historical Association for the grant that funded a new sound system that has already been installed at Waterside Theatre for The Lost Colony.
The RIHA said their extension request was necessitated due to delays in finalizing signage commemorating the grant from the Tourism Board.
The board also approved its budget for the Fiscal Year that begins on July 1, totalling $10,941,704 in the General Fund and $13,489,068 in the Special Revenue Fund.
The largest General Fund expenditures are Promotion at $8,564,340, with $1,542,294 designated to the board’s savings account, and $285,545 to the Event Site Fund.
Nettles said details and a video about the Outer Banks Promise, a tourism pledge to communicate “the important values of responsible behavior” to visitors and locals, will be released to the public this coming week.
The Outer Banks Promise has been developed by a 22-member special committee representing a varied mix of Dare County stakeholder groups including education, healthcare, infrastructure, lodging, National Park Service, non-profit organizations, restaurants and residents and non-resident property owners, among others, that was established to evaluate the strategic goals of the Long-Range Tourism Management Plan and make implementation recommendations to the Dare County Tourism Board.
Similar pledges have been crafted by several destinations around the world – particularly in recent years – and are designed to communicate the important values of a destination with the goal of positively influencing and encouraging a commitment to responsible behaviors, including inspiring greater respect for the local culture, natural environment and safety.
“A lot of work has gone into this,” Nettles said. “We look forward to your involvement, making the promise yourself, but also sharing with visitors as we get into a busy summer season.”
The next meeting of the Dare County Tourism Board is scheduled for August 15 at the Sarah Owens Welcome Center on Roanoke Island.
Good. Maybe there will finally be a swing back from the insane rental prices that started happening when Vacasa moved into the OBX. My first trip was in 1979. I visited dozens of times, in all seasons, introducing many friends and family to the OBX. When an October beachfront house with 6BR went from $2000 to $6000 a week s a result of Vacasa and their greed, and that of many others like them, I quit.