April 6, 2011 - Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket vacation rentals continue to book at the strongest pace in the history of the 13-year-old website, WeNeedaVacation.com. To date, summer bookings for this season are up 15.6% over the same time period last year - and a significant 30.6% over two years ago.
It often takes two years to recover from a relatively soft season like 2009 in which high inventory of rental properties and reduced vacationer demand created opportunities for vacationers to find plenty of last-minute options and reduced rates. Followed by last summer's higher demand for rentals and terrific weather, this season is already living up to the company's optimistic outlook for its vacation rental homeowners.
From a regional perspective, Nantucket has led the charge, posting summertime bookings 22.8% greater than last year and over 30% better than 2009. Martha's Vineyard bookings are nearly 15% above last year and up almost 24% over 2009, while bookings on the Cape alone so far are up almost 15% from last year, and 32% over this time in 2009. Within Cape Cod, the areas of greatest gains are on the Lower Cape and the Mid-Cape, which have seen 23% and 18% gains respectively over last year.
The popularity of the spring and fall shoulder seasons continues to grow, with springtime rentals up 16.5% over last year and 17.7% over 2009, while fall rentals are up 22.6% over last year and as much as 36.7% over 2009. Increasing numbers of vacationers are seemingly taking advantage of the shoulder seasons' lower rates and reduced traffic to enjoy greater values. The Cape particularly has seen a huge increase in fall bookings, up 25.6% over last year and 42.4% over 2009.
In terms of pricing, the higher priced homes are continuing to fare slightly better than the middle- or moderately-priced ones. To date, bookings of homes renting for over $3,000/week are up 22% over this time last year, while those rentals of $3,000/week and below are up 16%. We are only a third of the way through the current booking season, and ample inventory is still available in both the high-end and the moderate markets, including $15,000+/week waterfront estates and modest cottages for $800-$900/week.
The national economy is showing continued signs of improvement, with the NASDAQ back to where it was at its height in 2008 and unemployment numbers recently dropping to 8.8% nationally. Coupled with the great weather on the Cape and Islands last summer followed by the severe winter experienced by most of the country, WeNeedaVacation.com remains confident that the demand for Cape and Islands will be strong throughout the 2011 season.