Business leaders consider new tourism strategies – The Martha’s Vineyard Times

Small businesses and Vineyard leaders came together this week to strategize ways to increase tourism amid fears that the number of visitors to the Island has been decreasing in recent years. 

While much of the discussion at Monday’s State of the Island Tourism Breakfast revolved around new areas to grow the industry, a common and significant challenge faced was poor infrastructure and a lack of housing for workers. 

More than 100 people attended the event, which was held at the Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown. Owner Bernard Chiu expressed hope that this was the first of an annual tradition.

The energy was optimistic. With year-round numbers growing and tourism down, many Island businesses are searching for new ways to expand and reach a larger consumer audience.

Mondays’ breakfast was hosted by Erica Ashton and Alessandra Hagerty from the Chamber of Commerce, and featured a keynote address, as well as a panel discussion with Island business owners. 

Keynote speaker Kerrie Tripp from Discover New England, a tourism outreach business, hypothesized that a weakness of the Island could be the lack of movie and literature tours, while its strength was its natural beauty, slow travel, and retreats. She urged Island businesses to “embrace the Hallmark experience,” and lean into the charm.

Mass Cultural Council Director Michael Bobbit, a panelist at Monday’s conference, suggested more in-depth programming — what he called “collective impact work.” One example he used was the “I love New York” campaign, and the evolution of Broadway that helped turn New York City into a vibrant culture and arts scene, which makes it “one of the richest cities.” 

Massachusetts is the “third most vibrant arts state in the country,” Bobbit said. He mirrored Tripp’s sentiment, that Islanders should lean into the energy that already exists. 

James Hagerty, the Edgartown town administrator, brought up infrastructure, and questioned panelists on how that might impact the discussion of expanding tourism. 

Hagerty provided statistics that showed the year-round population on the Island has grown, with approximately 20,530 residents living here through the off-season, based on a 2020 census. According to the M.V. Commission, the year-round population in 2012 was 17,041. The Island’s summer population, however, has decreased, with around 94,600 people here this past August, which Hagerty said was less than in some previous years. Only one-third of goods on Martha’s Vineyard are purchased by year-round residents, according to the M.V. Commission, and many businesses rely on transient visitors for the major portion of their income. 

“I think we can work incrementally to [help] tourism where it is lacking,” said panelist Matthew Moore, referring to the opportunity of more outreach during the “shoulder season.” Moore is general manager of the Winnetu Oceanside Resort, and an M.V. Lodging Association board member. 

“We are trying to find that balance in meeting the needs of the year-round population while catering to the slower periods of the year where tourism would be a good fit, like April and May, and September and October,” he said.

Moore pointed to major challenges that businesses face, like housing for their employees. He feels businesses need to take a realistic approach to helping the tourism industry, and focus on year-round residents as well. “Without addressing the needs of our Island population, we can never pursue the grandiose goals of the tourism visionaries among us,” Moore said. Insufficient housing is one of the main challenges. According to the M.V. Commission, two-thirds of the Island economy relies on vacationers. Housing for workers and longer-term residents is the other side of the tourism coin. 

According to Michael Bobbit, a “lack of imagination” could be an obstacle when discussing the housing crisis. Out-of-the-box and creative thinking was a highlight of the Tourism Breakfast on Monday, but panelists pointed to a new direction that could benefit from that type of initiative. 

Bobbit reminded the room of Islanders, tourism experts, and business owners that housing, worker availability, and tourism go hand in hand, and “it’s not going to get better until action is taken.”