June 2026 meals and occupancy collections are up in Dare County, but with a caveat

By Outer Banks Voice on August 25, 2026

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On paper, the Dare County occupancy and meals collections for June 2026 look pretty good. But in discussing the numbers, Outer Banks Visitor Bureau Executive Director Lee Nettles offered a more nuanced view, given the impact of rising costs.

For June 2026, occupancy collections came in at $150.3 million, up by 3.19% over June 2025 and nudging the 2026 year-to-date numbers up 2.41% over the same numbers in 2025.

The June 2026 meals collections totaled $59.8 million, up 5.59% from June 2025. The year-to-date numbers are 2.94% over the previous year.

In recapping those numbers, Nettles noted that the June 2026 meals collections set a record for that month while the June 2026 occupancy collections were the third largest ever for that month.

“This is a good start to the summer numbers,” said Nettles, adding that typically, the months of June, July and August account for 65% of revenues for the entire year.

But Nettles also pointed out that the significant jump in costs means the increase in collections can’t be taken at face value and are not representative of profits in those industries.

 “We felt that the cost increases are kind of masking the fact that we’re sort of on par with last year, and maybe a few less visitors,” he added. The goal, Nettles said, is to achieve “responsible growth” that does not “overburden” the community.