CCB MEDIA PHOTO
HYANNIS – The escape to the Cape was underway on Friday, as Memorial Day weekend visitors flocked to the region for the unofficial kick-off to the summer.
At ferry and bus terminals and the Barnstable Municipal Airport, tourists were gearing up for a weekend of fun, hopefully in the sun.
Ted Moran, a Connecticut resident who lives in New York was at the Steamship Authority Dock in Hyannis awaiting the ferry that would take him and his friends to Nantucket for the weekend.
He said it was his first trip to the island.
“I’ve got so many friends that have spent the summer there so it’ll be cool to see what they’ve been talking about all these years,” said Moran.
Local tourism officials were hoping for another strong season between now and Labor Day, when many Cape Cod businesses make the vast majority of their money.
Steamship Authority General Manage Wayne Lamson said that so far it’s been quiet for them, but they’re expecting to be busy, beginning this weekend.
“We like to think that this is where their vacation begins once they get on the vessel and on the ferry,” said Lamson.
AAA is projecting that 39.3 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles from home, including 900,000 people in Massachusetts – 800,000 of which will drive.
Mary Maguire, a AAA Northeast spokeswoman, said the quick access to beaches in the area is what is driving people to travel to the Cape this weekend.
“We’re in an enviable situation here in New England because we have access to so many great beaches which is what a lot of people are looking for on Memorial Day Weekend,” said Maguire.
About 2.9 million Americans are expected to fly during the holiday weekend, which would be an increase of 5.5 percent over 2016.
Barnstable Municipal Airport Manager Bud Breault said that he looks at how many vehicles are in the parking lot when he determines whether or not they are busy.
In previous years, there is overflow parking at the airport for Memorial Day weekend, but not yet this year.
“We’d just like to provide as much service as we can, get as many people through the airport as we can, and we’d like to see some more business in our parking lots,” said Breault. “That would give us an indication that this is a good season.”
Travelers using other modes of transportation, including cruises, trains and buses, are expected to total 1.75 million, a 2.9 percent increase from a year ago.
With the Cape Flyer starting for the season this weekend, CCRTA Administrator Tom Cahir is hoping for success in the 5th year of the train service from Boston to Hyannis.
“We’re doing a lot of great things and we’ve learned from previous years and we’re very optimistic about success this year,” said Cahir.
By MATT PITTA and JUSTIN SAUNDERS, CapeCod.com Newscenter
About CapeCod.com NewsCenter
