Tourism Council Update – January 2026
Tourism Council December Update: Celebrating the Holiday Season, Focusing on 2026
This holiday season was one of the busiest in recent memory for Greater Cape Ann’s tourism community, with many holiday events that welcomed visitors and local residents alike and with opportunities to celebrate the season with peers who share a focus on our visitor-based economy.
Given this busy holiday schedule, the Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce Tourism Council took a break and skipped its December meeting. But Council members were still very focused on ways to welcome tourists to the region during the holidays and in the months and years ahead.
The holiday season has become a cornerstone for tourism across the region, with community happenings like tree lightings, downtown strolls and other celebrations that give visitors a different view of Greater Cape Ann than they might be used to seeing in the summer months. There were also many holiday events planned by area attractions that further contributed to the spirit of the holidays, from concerts to open houses.
Other events – like the Chamber’s annual holiday parties held in each of the Greater Cape Ann communities – serve another valuable purpose, bringing local tourism leaders together with other businesses not only to celebrate but also to update. These parties are an opportunity for tourism businesses to share news on their experiences this holiday season and to talk about hopes and plans for 2026 and beyond.
While the holidays are a major part of the month of December, this is also a time when businesses look back on the successes and challenges of the past year and turn our attention to the future. Much of the Tourism Council’s work – and the focus on discussion in our monthly meetings – is how we can draw more visitors to Greater Cape Ann in the winter months, and how we can extend the busy summer season into spring and fall.
All of these topics will be on the agenda for the Tourism Council in our January 16 meeting and throughout the year. These monthly Council meetings will continue to provide a platform for tourism businesses to share news, discuss ideas, review data, and brainstorm solutions – all with a focus on growing tourism across Greater Cape Ann.
As we reported in last month’s Tourism Council update, 2026 promises to be an incredible year for tourism on Cape Ann, building on the success of 2025 and welcoming visitors to milestone events like the Battle of Gloucester reenactment, planned for June 20-21 at Stage Fort Park.
The tourism community will have two major opportunities to look ahead – and reflect on past developments: the Discover Gloucester Tourism and Business Summit that will be held on February 5 and the Chambers’s annual Tourism Mixer that will be held this spring (date TBD).
These are just some of the important topics the Tourism Council will be reviewing in the months ahead.
Anyone who is involved in or has an interest in Greater Cape Ann’s visitor-based economy – and/or wants to be part of the discussion around topics mentioned in this month’s report – is invited to join us for our upcoming monthly meetings. We gather on the third Friday of each month at the Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce offices — and via Zoom. If you’d like to be part of these meetings, please reach out to me or contact the Chamber staff.
Happy New Year! Here’s hoping 2026 is a successful one for Greater Cape Ann’s tourism community and that we continue to do our part to make our region not only a great place to visit, but also a great place to live.
Happy Holidays!
Tony Sapienza
Co-owner, Blue Shutters Beachside Inn
Chair, Tourism Council
tsapienza@gmail.com
Learn more about the Greater Cape Ann Chamber’s Tourism Council
