When summer finally breaks on the South Shore and Cape Cod, it brings with it an influx of visitors from around the country and around the world who eat, stay, shop, and explore the rich history and culture of this region. Last year was a particularly busy year in Boston, the South Shore, and Cape Cod, according to the Boston Globe. The Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau announced last week that Boston saw more than 1.4 million overseas travelers in 2014; 10% more than 2013 and 76% more than 2005. In Plymouth County, occupancy rates were up 2.3% and the rates per available room were up 14% from July 2014 through July 2015. Cape Cod had a fantastic summer 2015 as well, with some hotels and restaurants reporting a 14-16% increase in business over summer 2014.
Summer isn’t the only “tourist season” here, though; the South Shore brings in a second wave of visitors in the fall who come to enjoy Thanksgiving where it all began almost 400 years ago. The America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Celebration brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to the region for a full weekend of events, including Plymouth 400’s Illuminate event.
Let’s look at the big picture:
In Plymouth County, tourism is the largest industry, bringing in $600 million in domestic visitor spending annually and supporting more than 3,700 jobs, according to the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism and the Plymouth County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Based upon some of the strongest years in Plymouth County tourism (2000-2001) and the reported numbers from similar events (namely Jamestown Settlement in Virginia’s 400th anniversary), we can expect Plymouth County Tourism numbers to more than triple in 2020.
Plymouth 400 is working closely with the town of Plymouth, the state of Massachusetts and the federal government to make necessary changes in transportation, infrastructure and more, so that when an estimated 7 million visitors travel to Plymouth County in 2020 we are well-equipped to meet their needs. St. Augustine, Florida, is commemorating its 450th anniversary this month and has “spent $3.6 million since 2009 renovating historic buildings, creating new exhibitions, organizing events and designing specially branded promotions” in preparation for the event, according to NorthJersy.com.
To learn more about how Plymouth 400 is planning to commemorate this historic anniversary and what this organization is doing in preparation for 2020, join us September 17th at 6:30pm at our next Community Meeting.
