MAY 2022: TOURISM COUNCIL REPORT
The spring is an important season for our region’s tourism community, and that was apparent from the discussions at the April 15 meeting of the Greater Cape Ann Tourism Council.
We reviewed Cape Ann Birding activities, which began in the winter with the annual birders boat trip and continued into the spring with the new birders speaker series. April featured two presentations by local birding experts – at the Blue Shutters on April 2 and at the Emerson Inn on April 30. Many agreed that based on the success of this year’s expanded activities, we should consider extending the birders program even further in 2023, continuing to showcase an increasingly popular Cape Ann attraction.
The group turned its attention to a “rite of spring” for the tourism community on Cape Ann: our annual Spring Tourism Mixer. This year’s event is scheduled for the evening of Wednesday, May 4, at the Vista Motel, where we will celebrate the opening of a new Breakfast Pavilion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. We’ll hear from other tourism businesses and organizations from across Cape Ann about “what’s new” this spring and what we can expect in summer 2022 and beyond. Anyone involved or interested in Cape Ann’s tourism community is invited to attend the mixer, which takes place from 5-7pm at the Vista.
We looked to the season ahead, continuing our discussion of the summer employment support program, an initiative aimed at drawing much-needed summer workers to Cape Ann by offering transportation, housing and other assistance during their time here. The new Cape Ann Works program was the focus of an April 19 presentation at the Beauport Hotel. The program aims to overcome barriers to attracting international students to Cape Ann interested in living and working here during the summer. The program also encourages local students to fill seasonal jobs.
The Council set its sights even further into the future, discussing ways we can promote fall and holiday 2022 activities on Cape Ann as well as Gloucester 400 plans for 2023.
We will continue our discussion of spring, summer, winter and fall tourism priorities in our next monthly meeting, scheduled for Friday, May 20.
If you’d like to join us for this or future Tourism Council meetings – held the third Friday of each month at the Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce offices – please email me at tsapienza@gmail.com
Tony Sapienza
Co-owner, Blue Shutters Beachside Inn
Chair, Tourism Council
tsapienza@gmail.com 617-650-2995
