CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE – The Cape May County Chamber joins with the County Board of Commissioners and Congressman Jeff Van Drew in urging President Biden to open the U.S. border to Canadian Visitors.
Citing the Cape May County 2019 report, Chamber President Vicki Clark reported that Canadian visitors rank as the county’s fourth largest market share at nearly 10% of our visitor base with a longer length of stay that most other visitors. “These loyal visitors want to return to vacationing in Cape May County and every day the border is closed is a lost opportunity for them and lost revenue for Cape May County, and New Jersey. In the tourism industry, you don’t more days on the calendar. Once the sun sets, the day is over, and the opportunity is gone. In real dollars, that means $1,400 per day, per Canadian visitor which in a typical season totals nearly $2 million.”
The importance of our Canadian visitors is reflected in the names of many Cape May County businesses, especially in The Wildwoods and Cape May. The Montreal Beachfront Resort, Royal Canadian Resort, Fleur de Lis, and Quebec Motel all give a nod to the importance and influence of our visitors north of the border.
“At the present time, Canada plans to open the border to United State’s vaccinated visitors on August 9th but the US is waiting until August 21st to allow Canadian visitors to cross the border. We believe that there is no reason to wait until August 21st and ask President Biden to welcome our Canadian visitors now in the interest of our tourism industry and economic recovery,” said Vicki Clark, President of the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce.
