Tourism Council October Meeting Update: Celebrating Fall 2024 on Cape Ann

October is always a special time for tourism on Cape Ann, and in 2024, this month lived up to all expectations – and then some!  For while October ushered in the change of colors, community events, and the seasonal reflections that typically mark this month, in 2024 we also enjoyed the return of summer weather. All this and more was the focus at the meeting of the Greater Cape Ann Chamber’s Tourism Council on October 18.

At this monthly meeting, we reviewed late September and October events like Blackburn Brewfest (September 21), the Love Cape Ann Auction (September 26), Cape Ann Plein Air (October 5-13), HarvestFest (October 19), and Essex Clamfest (October 26) – as well as the Halloween festivities in nearby Salem.  The continued success of fall events spotlight the emergence of this season as a time for community celebrations across Cape Ann – and this has translated into more visitors to the region.

Members of the Council also reflected on another phenomenon that has attracted tourists to Greater Cape Ann and encouraged them to explore more of our communities:  the unseasonably warm temperatures that we saw – and continue to see – across New England.  

We again used the Tourism Council meeting to discuss issues important to the tourism community, including the need to increase Lyft and Uber service, the effort to expand Commuter Rail schedules, the questions surrounding parking in the downtown Gloucester St. Peter’s lot, the effort to upgrade Gloucester’s HarborWalk, the implications of the city’s short-term rental ordinance, and the opportunities to push for all Greater Cape Ann communities to support the tourism infrastructure across the region.

We also looked ahead – to the Discover Gloucester Season in Review (November 12), the North of Boston Industry Awards at the Beauport Hotel (November 14), and holiday celebrations planned for November and December.

And we set our sights to summer 2025, with a report on cruise line activities and opportunities next year and going forward.  We’ll discuss another 2025 happening in our next meeting – the Essex Heritage Foundation’s plans for the re-enactment of The Battle of Bunker Hill next June. These Rev250 events are expected to generate 20,000-30,000 visitors for the weekend of June 21 and 22 in 2025.

There will be more conversations like this in our November 15 meeting of the Tourism Council. Holiday and winter 2026 plans will also be a key topic of conversation in November.

We invite anyone who is involved in or has an interest in Cape Ann’s visitor-based economy to join us for this or future monthly meetings. Our Tourism Council meets 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 added to our email list or share updates with the group, please reach out to me or contact the Chamber staff.

Tony Sapienza
Co-owner, Blue Shutters Beachside Inn
Chair, Tourism Council
tsapienza@gmail.com