By AccuWeather senior producer
Updated May. 30, 2021 10:07 PM EDT
As pandemic restrictions ease, travel is increasing around the country. With summer on the horizon, vacation rental properties are going fast, especially at the Jersey Shore where property owners, agencies and management companies are expecting big business.
Maria Kirk owns Shore Summer Rentals and said she is already experiencing a banner year. "This time last year, it was a little depressing." But this year, according to Kirk, the mood has swung significantly. "People just want to be down the Jersey Shore, they want to create those memories with their kids again and they're ready."
Kirk told AccuWeather she already has more than a 95% occupancy rate. "This summer, I think it's just going to be crazy. We have a pretty much booked up July and August in most of our New Jersey towns."
A similar scenario is playing out in cities all along the Jersey Shore.
(Photo credit: Getty images)
“This is my 20th year doing it and it’s out of control," Jeffrey Serio told CBS Philly. "You would think this would be the last summer there would be beach rentals.”
Booking websites like Airbnb are also seeing a boom in traffic for the Jersey Shore. “Cape May is actually a top trending destination across the entire site,” Sam Randall of Airbnb told CBS Philly, referring to the popular resort at the southeastern tip of New Jersey.
Several factors could explain the blockbuster season. Duane Watlington, who owns Vacation Rentals Ocean City NJ, told AccuWeather the pandemic has inspired people who usually travel farther distances to book a vacation closer to home.
Maria Kirk, owner of Shore Summer Rentals. (AccuWeather)
“I think people still can't take those overseas vacations, they might be a little hesitant to fly still, so they're looking for a staycation someplace they could drive to," he said. "So not only do we have our normal people that vacation at the shore, but we've branched out and have people from Connecticut, Massachusetts -- they are coming to the Jersey Shore this year too.”
Sean Tannehill with Mark Arbeit and Co. agrees, but said interest is coming from even farther away than the Northeast. He told CBS Philly, “We’re actually getting a lot of calls from the West Coast, from California, from people where the restrictions are still tight and they’re just trying to find a way to escape and have some normalcy this summer.”
Additionally, Tannehill said that with the housing market still hot, some Jersey Shore homeowners have sold their rental properties.
“So now, we’re dealing with less rentals than we had in the past," he added.
This July 9, 2018, photo shows the Atlantic City, N.J., beachfront. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)
Although there may be a lack of available rental properties, Kirk said there may be more restaurant seating than ever this summer. Pandemic restrictions inspired an increase in outdoor dining that, where possible, will become permanent. "Vacationers are not going to have to wait two hours to get a table now because we can eat inside or out," Kirk told AccuWeather. "People are loving it. Ninety percent of the people say, 'I want outside as long as it's not 100 degrees,' and you're too hot or too cold, so you have both choices, which is really nice."
One thing people heading to the Jersey Shore for the Memorial Day weekend won't have to worry about is 100-degree weather. Parts of the Northeast have experienced summerlike weather in recent weeks. The mercury soared to 89 F on May 23 in Ocean City, New Jersey. There was a similar summer preview up and down the South Jersey Shore that weekend, as places like Stone Harbor, Cape May and Sea Isle City all saw temps approach 90.
But AccuWeather forecasters warned that the unofficial first weekend of summer won't really feel so summerlike at the Jersey Shore. Bad weather and unseasonably cool air could put a damper on people's beach plans for part of the weekend.
But the heat is coming this summer, and there may be opportunities to find a rental at the bookends of the season.
Kirk said it's still not too late for people looking to make fun summer memories at the beach after a long winter of staying at home and social distancing. "The best time if people are still looking to come down the Jersey Shore, maybe think about June or September."
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