Tourist season success mixes with slight decline

July 31, 2025 23

REHOBOTH BEACH – Tourism numbers in Delaware are slightly down for the season, but industry leaders say that it’s by no means a slow summer at beaches in the First State.

Occupancy rates published by the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce highlight a 2% decrease in weekend stays this year dated from Memorial Day to the Fourth of July weekend compared to last year, along with a 2.7% decrease in Wednesday stays.

The data is a small sample of overall Delaware beach hotel occupancy rates and does not include rental homes and only reflects the hotels in Rehoboth and Dewey Beach.

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Despite the slight decline, Southern Delaware Tourism Executive Director Scott Thomas told the Delaware Business Times that Sussex County continues to be the driving destination for millions of visitors each year as they head to their vacation spots in the heat of summer.

“The five-star beaches are really our anchor here and that really separates us from our neighbors, the food and the tax-free shopping, that’s really what keeps people wanting to come back as far as our big drivers,” Thomas said.

He added that although visitation is up at the beaches, the area as a whole has seen a slight plateau in overnight stays as people return to their normal schedules and budgets following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The occupancy rates showcase the trends year over year and actually highlight a slight increase in travelers for the year, despite the slower summer season.

For example, weekend overnight stays at local hotels came to 68,432 stays between January 1 and July 6 in 2025 versus 61,053 in the same time frame last year. Weekday stays, clocked on Wednesday each week, came to 49,450 during that time frame this year and slightly less last year at 46,949.

“If you look at the traffic counts and the overnight stays, they’re here,” retiring President and CEO Carol Everhart told DBT.

As the hotels and local businesses handle the influx of travelers, staffing has to match the need, she added. But that’s become difficult as people have gotten used to working from home or as they struggle to find workforce housing so they can support the local economy.

“Where is workforce housing? It’s gotten so expensive and it’s become a real issue. So you might need 20 employees but are they 20 employees who can find workforce housing,” she asked. “That and there are simply some things you can’t do from home. You can’t clean or wait on tables from home. We need people in our businesses to accommodate the visitors.”