The 4th of July weekend is always a peak time for tourism and activity in Ocean City, and this summer has certainly been no exception. The town’s population reached 344,756 on Friday the 4th, and 326,249 Saturday and Sunday. Many businesses reported that this was one of the best 4th weekends ever for them, bringing in plenty of new and returning customers.

Those numbers reflect the dominant trend in this summer’s tourism figures: lots of people come to visit over the weekend, but few stay longer than one or two nights. While vacationers of previous summers were more likely to store up vacation days to stay for a longer trip, this summer they’ve opted to come in on Friday and leave on Sunday, which many say indicates that the expenses of an Ocean City vacation have exceeded what many visitors can afford for more than a couple of days. On the other hand, perhaps due to worries about the economy and gas prices, hotels, restaurants and other businesses have had great luck with sales and promotion packages that promise to save money for guests. Hotels have reported plenty of success with special deals including golf packages, week-long deals, and more.

In general, while some things have been tough for OC this summer, it’s hardly been as bad as some locals were predicting in the spring. The numbers from the 4th of July weekend prove that any rumors of doom and gloom were highly exaggerated.

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