May 24, 2023
Bookings for Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket continue to be strong, especially compared to pre-pandemic years. But with inventory rebounding from pandemic declines and less demand compared to 2022, vacationers still have a lot of options for their summer vacation.
Vacationer demand currently shows a 31% increase so far in 2023 over 2019, but a -19% decrease over 2022. This is not surprising, given the historic two-fold increase in demand during the heart of the pandemic.
We have seen a growing trend of vacationers booking their home for next summer as early as the previous fall. Prior to 2017, we saw a strong surge in inquiries and bookings beginning in January. In recent years, the bookings are more evenly spread out beginning in September of the prior year.
Current Inventory of Available Homes
In looking at the inventory of homes currently available for 10 weeks of the summer season, we see that, on average, there is 6-11% more availability compared to the same time last year. Now that the pandemic is over, families are travelling abroad again and taking more vacations during the year.
Generally, the most popular weeks of the summer are the last two weeks of July and the first two weeks of August. As is often the case, the last week of August shows 49% availability, as demand is always lower for that week due to schools resuming.
Vacation rentals on the Cape and Islands saw a tremendous surge in popularity during the pandemic as families discovered the benefits of renting an entire house, where they could enjoy privacy and many amenities, as well as cook their own meals if they choose to. So, despite the downturn from the last two years, the Cape and Islands continues to be an appealing destination.