OCEAN CITY, Md. - Bustling crowds in Ocean City were enjoying fun in the sun Friday afternoon. But the busy beaches and boardwalks are not translating into busy businesses.
"Well, business for us has been slow; it's steady but it's slower than the years before," said Timur Unal, general manager of Piezano's Pizza, which has several locations in Ocean City.
A recent report on tourist activity in Ocean City showed revenues in key business categories are down so far in 2024, including the hotel industry, which is getting shut out by short-term rentals, such as Airbnb and VRBO.
"A three bedroom condo or house, would have been two or three, or even four hotel rooms, so the hotel rooms are down in the independent area because more people are in the AirBnBs," said Susan Jones of the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association, as she analyzed the information.
The report showed that visitor numbers aren't necessarily down, but visitors have become more conservative in their spending.
"I think that everybody's in the same state- we're all watching our pennies," said Scott Heise, owner of Pizza Tugos, which also has several locations around Ocean City. "Food has gone up, gas has fortunately stayed okay, but we're all feeling the pressure of the economy, we don't know where it's going right now."
That has business looking for new and innovative ways to attract dollars.
New music festivals have been a hit with businesses.
"I'm really looking forward to those events. I think if the weather holds up we're going to have a beautiful crowd once again this year," Unal said.
And weekday events, such as the recent USSSA softball tournament, hosted in both Wicomico and Worcester counties, are showing promise.
"We saw a lot of activity the beginning of the week of that," Heise said. "We hope that Ocean City continues on that path of looking for sports, things that bring people to town during the week."