Following last year's tourism increases, the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce was happy to announce that this past summer continued to show growth and improvement for Garrett County and Deep Creek Lake. The Chamber of Commerce has been implementing more aggressive marketing strategies to help increase tourism in Garrett County, which they credit as one of the biggest factors for the increased numbers.
The first quarter of FY 18 (July-September 2017) saw a 5.9 percent increase in county accommodations sales and a 19.6 percent increase in ‘heads on beds.’ As a whole, FY 17 (July 2016-June 2017) had increases across the board, with an 8.6 percent rise in heads on beds, a 6.9 increase in county accommodations sales, and a 3.6 percent rise in sales tax collections. While these numbers are very encouraging on their own, Garrett County is seeing more growth than the state of Maryland for lodging sales tax code collections, restaurant sales tax collections, and sales tax revenues specific to tourism. Having continued growth and strong numbers has actually helped Garrett County receive more funding for marketing from the state. Garrett County now receives the seventh highest grant amount, behind other major Maryland areas like Ocean City, Baltimore City, and Baltimore County.
Maryland Public Schools also implemented their post-Labor Day start, which most likely added to the increased numbers. With Maryland students returning to school in September instead of mid-August, it made late summer vacations a possibility for the first time in a while. August 2017 saw an 11 percent increase in county accommodations collections, a whopping 53 percent increase in heads on beds, and an 8.3 percent raise in sales tax collections compared to August 2016. When first introduced, the post-Labor Day start for schools showed a promising opportunity for all tourism-fueled economies in Maryland, Deep Creek Lake included. Looking at the statistics, it would appear that Deep Creek Lake did benefit from the post-Labor Day start.
One of their most recent marketing projects was the 360-degree experience video. The video allows users to drag the screen using their finger or mouse to view every angle – giving them the full virtual experience. The virtual tours include all major area attractions, like boating on the lake, kayaking at ASCI, the farmers market in Oakland, and so much more. You might even see a few familiar faces in some of the videos!
After a busy fall and our first small bouts of snow, we expect to see the tourism numbers continue to increase as FY 18 progresses. Winter is a very exciting season at Deep Creek Lake and we’re so ready for snow and ski season at Wisp Resort!
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