Wednesday, October 14, 2026
By Mark Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice on July 31, 2025
While data for the crucial summer months are not yet available, the Dare County occupancy and meals collection numbers for May 2025 show notable gains, driven by a major jump in occupancy dollars.
The May 2025 occupancy numbers came in at just under $68 million, up a whopping 18.4% from the May 2024 collections. That pushes the 2025 year-to-date gains up to 11.88% compared with the same five months last year.
The May 2025 meals increases were more modest, with the numbers, at just under $41 million, up by 4.5% compared with May 2024. The 2025 year-to-date numbers have increased by a more substantial 7.1% over the first five months of 2024.
Asked about the 2025 collections, Lee Nettles, Executive Director of the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, said, “So far, so good. The late Easter helped boost April. April is bigger than the preceding months, dollarwise, so when you boost a bigger month, it affects the [year-to-date] in a more impactful way.”
Acknowledging that was speculating about the big increase in the May 2025 numbers, he added that it “could be that people were traveling intentionally before the peak [visitor season] to manage dollars better.”
Despite the bullish numbers, Nettles did sound a cautionary note, stating that, “A strong spring is great, but approximately 65% of our annual lodging collections happen in June, July and August. Spring gains go away quickly if you miss any of the summer months.”
