HYANNIS – The summer season kicked off this weekend on Cape Cod and tourism leaders and business owners are hoping for another strong year.
Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce CEO Wendy Northcross said she is hearing from members that a busy season is expected.
Employers are still preparing for peak summer season and are working to secure seasonal help, especially from overseas workers, due to the historically low unemployment.
“I’m hearing the pain of not having enough summer staff yet,” Northcross said. “But it is still an optimistic point of view from our members.”
Earlier this spring the U.S. Department of Homeland Security authorized an increase to the cap of H-2B visa workers by 30,000 for the rest of the fiscal year in response to pressure from legislators.
The temporary worker program has been used by local businesses for decades as it allows employers to bring in foreign workers for up to nine months to fill positions that are unable to be filled with local residents.
The extra visas will be available for returning seasonal workers who have worked previously in the U.S. in the last three years.
“People right now are in process and we think that those extra allotments of visas will be awarded probably mid-June,” Northcross said. “That means people could be here by school getting out.”
Nearly 20,000 workers are added seasonally on Cape Cod.
“It could be everyone from landscapers, to front desk people, to extra help at the emergency room at Cape Cod Hospital,” Northcross said. “It is a broad range of skill sets.”
About 5,000 of those seasonal workers come to the U.S. as H-2B visa workers or J-1 students.
Northcross said there are some new attractions this year on Cape Cod not related to the beach, including a new Cape and Islands bookstore trail.
Independent book sellers on Cape Cod the islands have come together to create a trail.
“They have a map and you can get your passport stamped,” Northcross said. “They are really trying to just showcase who and what they are and there are a lot of them.”
More information can found at capeandislandsbookstoretrail.com
The John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum will host a special exhibit this summer remembering John F. Kennedy Jr.
“It is sort of a memorialization of the anniversary of his death,” Northcross said.
Kennedy died in a plane crash on July 16, 1999 off Martha’s Vineyard.
Northcross said there are also many special events leading up to the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Mayflower Pilgrims in 2020.
Tourism officials and business owners are hoping the increased shark presence and attacks in the region last summer don’t keep any visitors away.
A New York man was bitten in August off Truro and survived. A Revere man was attacked off Wellfleet in September and was killed.
“We are trying to remind people that when they come to the Cape Cod National Seashore you are in a wild place, you are in a park, and guess what – there are wild things that live in wild places,” Northcross said.
Northcross said going to beach is always fun, but that visitors need to be aware of their environment.
“Not only do you have to be aware that there might be critters swimming in there, there are other things like rip tides and sunburn,” Northcross said.
Northcross said the chamber is working overtime this year to spread to simplify the safety messages.
“Be aware. Be safe and enjoy yourself,” she said.
The majority of summer visitors to Cape Cod come from northeastern U.S. cities and states.
More than 95 percent of visitors drive to Cape Cod.
“Most of them prefer to not drive more than three hours,” Northcross said. “There are 46 million people living in that arc that is a three- to four-hour drive and it is a great pool for us to draw from.”
There is a strong international market for the region as well. Northcross said the majority of visitors from Canada and overseas come to the Cape during the late spring and early fall.
Northcross said tourism officials are pushing for major infrastructure improvements for motorists traveling over the Cape Cod Canal.
“Our roadways are actually pretty adequate. It is our bridges that are aging. They are too narrow. They are functionally obsolete,” she said. “Something is going to have to happen. We want it to happen sooner rather than later.”
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has issued a draft report that supports replacing both Cape Cod Canal vehicle bridges.
The findings are part of a five-year Cape Cod Canal Transportation Study that looks to improve traffic flow on the Upper Cape.
The final decision on what to do with the aging and obsolete Sagamore and Bourne Bridges will be made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
A full calendar of events, attractions and dining options can be found at capecodchamber.org.
“Enjoy the summer,” Northcross said. “It goes fast. Go out and enjoy it.”
By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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