Tourism Marketing: Sharks Attracting Travelers

Cape Cod’s Great Whites Can’t Scare Off Visitors

I saw an interesting story on boston.com about the recent increase in shark sightings off of Chatham, a quaint fishing village at the elbow of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. A growing seal population has been attracting great white sharks, one of the seals’ only predators, to the waters around the Cape. You might think this kind of press would have a negative impact on tourism for the region. But it appears that it may actually be increasing visits to the town of Chatham.

Media Coverage of Sightings Benefits Destination Marketers

There have been three great white sharks sighted near Chatham’s beaches this season; one was tagged just 100 yards off shore on July 27th. The media has picked up on the story, recognizing its sensational appeal and potential effect on the tourism season. The coverage has been balanced, however, discussing scientific tagging programs that are trying to learn more about the sharks’ lifestyles and habits, rather than inciting fear and reincarnating the monster from the movie “Jaws” that terrified swimmers 30 years ago. (The truth is, the last fatal shark attack in Massachusetts took place way back in 1936.)

According to an interview in today’s Boston Globe with Lisa Franz, executive director of the Chatham Chamber of Commerce, the media attention may be a boon. When asked about the shark sightings’ impact on the town she answered, “It is jam-packed. There's lots of traffic and shopping coming in. We've experienced lots of people asking about the shark sightings at our visitor's center. It is a big draw today.”

An Emerging Market for Adventure Travelers?

That the presence of these apex predators hasn’t diminished tourism is great news for resorts all along the New England coast, but could the public interest in sharks actually be turned into a new market opportunity for the region?

When asked if Chatham might become a hub for shark-related tourism, Franz replied, “Could be, but I think they’re attempting to put certain restrictions in place, such as on shark boats and shark cages. There are ways the city is looking into this so that it doesn’t get out of control. We do have a number of seal tours in town because of our large seal populations, and I think their business has increased because people are interested.

“You're always going to get people who are interested and go out in boats [to try and sight sharks], but any kind of daredevil antics are going to be discouraged.”

So Chatham doesn’t really want to be known as Shark Capital of America... But the sharks are there, the tourists are there, and the resorts seem to be getting along just fine.

Let’s hope it’s a long, happy summer for everyone.