Pouring out of ferries into Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs on a recent August morning, visitors excitedly discussed their vacation plans while hurrying to catch a bus or sauntering toward nearby shops. The annual surge of events and people during the summer typically explodes the Vineyard’s population tenfold.
But some Vineyarders questioned whether the Island was quieter in July compared to previous summers. Fewer people seemed to crowd the sidewalks, and fewer cars trudged along congested Vineyard roads. “Is anyone else feeling like the Island is unusually quiet for this time of year?” Billie Jean Sullivan, former executive director of the Oak Bluffs Association, wondered in a July social media post. That question was shared by some Vineyarders even into August.
Leading into the summer season there were worries among Island businesses that the Trump administration’s economic policies and households’ financial concerns could be damaging to tourism on the Vineyard. And some businesses and industries have reported a bit of a cooldown prior to the August push.
Officials with the Chamber of Commerce say that while not overwhelming, there was a slowdown in tourism in July — evidenced in bookings, travel patterns, and reporting from some businesses — but that the summer ended strong.
“July saw a bit of a dip, which we’re attributing to a general softening in international travel trends,” said Erica Ashton, executive director of the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce.
Still, Ashton said, August “delivered a strong recovery” and many Vineyard businesses “reported solid traffic … Overall, we saw a late-season boost that balanced out some of the slower early-summer weeks.”
A shifting lodging market?
An Island industry that felt the ebb and flow of summer tourism was the seasonal rental market — a sector that had seen fluctuation since the post-COVID vacation boom. There was concern at the start of the season that some bookings would not fill up with the same frequency as prior years.
Local realtors and lodging operators have reported mixed figures, noting that there’s been an increase in last-minute bookings compared to prior years, which they attribute to travelers looking for possible deals and being wary of their finances. And rentals that have reduced pricing have had better luck welcoming clients, with some realtors recommending reduced prices.
Jeff Talmadge, CEO and co-founder of the Orleans-based vacation-home rental agency WeNeedaVacation, said that as of the end of July, his agency saw a 7.7 percent increase in Vineyard bookings since Memorial Day compared to last year. His firm had roughly 600 active listings on the Island by the end of June.
Still, Talmadge said the massive rate increases after COVID have come down. In his inventory, prices had gone up 58 percent between 2020 and 2024. The higher rates, he said, led to a significant drop in people booking properties on the Island.
“The vacationers balked, and it got a little tight on the Vineyard,” he said. He ultimately said that rates went down for the rentals on his company’s website.
Talmadge noted that the vacation-rental market fluctuations seem to have calmed and improved compared to the beginning of the year, when “there was so much uncertainty in the economy,” like tariffs, federal cuts, and layoffs.
While Talmadge has seen an increase, some local real estate brokers say there’s been an overall decrease in bookings in 2025 compared to last year, although August ramped up with some agencies’ listings fully booked. Similar to Talmadge, agents have asked homeowners to lower rates to attract more customers.
Rebecca Conroy, of Conroy & Company Real Estate in Chilmark, said her firm saw that decrease. Conroy underscored that July has been less busy compared to August for the past three years.
“We all know what houses have vacancies,” Conroy said, highlighting that pricier units have had more difficulty attracting clients.
Catherine Gargiulo, a rental manager with Ocean Park Realty in Oak Bluffs, said properties in her town are hot commodities. However, she said that the market has been “flooded” with units and bedrooms on rental platforms rather than weekly whole-house rentals, which is attractive for travelers who may be looking for potentially cheaper options. “Now, if people have two rooms, they are putting it on Airbnb,” Gargiulo said. “It’s just ridiculous.”
Still, while people are trying to save money through these routes, Gargiulo said some “diehard renters” will make reservations without worrying about the prices.
A local rental platform in Vineyard Haven, Martha’s Vineyard Rentals, run by Max Bossman, has seen a 17 percent decrease in visitors to the website and a 21 percent drop in rental inquiries compared to last year — including a significant drop in international web traffic, especially from Canada. But he did note that last-minute bookings for August “surged significantly” in late July.
Bossman also highlighted that “wave of increased bookings” after the COVID-19 pandemic is gone and the economy is “playing a major role in making spending decisions,” like shorter stays.
“We are seeing more traffic from M.V. rentals keywords that include terms like ‘discounts,’ ‘cheap,’ ‘pets,’ ‘ferry reservation included,’” Bossman said.
Lisa Lucier, owner and broker of Anchor Realty in Oak Bluffs, said while her agency has “slightly increased” bookings from last year, she felt it was a little easier to travel than in past summers.
“I think people are coming, but I think they’re being more conscientious of how they spend their money,” Lucier said.
Travel patterns
Despite a slower summer start, the Island especially drew earlier crowds with the festivities themed around the 50th anniversary of the 1975 blockbuster film “Jaws” in June, and Erica Ashton said momentum was strong headed into August. She noted that “ferry traffic has remained stable” and flights to the Island increased this year, both being “great indicators of continued strong interest in Vineyard travel.”
The Steamship Authority’s most recently released data, on Sept. 9, showed that as of July, the number of passengers who rode aboard its vessels on the Vineyard route rose 1 percent compared to last year. But the number of vehicles the ferry line carried on the Vineyard route, including freight and vehicles under 20 feet long, during the same time frame had decreased by 1.3 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively.
Meanwhile, Martha’s Vineyard Airport’s summer flight data show that there was a slower start to the summer this year than in 2024. Compared to last year, May saw a 14 percent drop in travelers coming through the airport, and June saw a 13 percent drop. However, July saw a 3 percent increase. This fluctuation was also seen in other months compared to the same times last year — a 10 percent drop in January, 29 percent drop in February, 3 percent increase in March, and 7 percent increase in April. August data aren’t fully available yet, but both Cape Air and Tradewind saw a slight increase in passengers compared to August 2024.
Other businesses
Restaurants and other seasonal businesses on the Island interviewed by The Times have reported mixed results.
Matt Moore, general manager of Winnetu Oceanside Resort in Edgartown, noted that his establishment’s concierge team has had an easier time reserving tables in Edgartown and Oak Bluffs restaurants for their guests compared to past years. While hotels saw a slight downturn, Moore said Winnetu’s bookings and restaurant sales have “dramatically improved” compared to 2024. “We have a lot of return guests who’ve been coming back for 20, 30 years in some cases,” Moore said.
Larkin Stallings, owner of the Ritz bar and president of the Oak Bluffs Association, said there doesn’t seem to be a pattern for why some businesses have been more successful than others. He said his own sales at the Ritz have dropped for a second year in a row.
“I don’t a hundred percent know why,” Stallings said, although he suspects a part of it stems from the “town-inflicted wound” on alcohol-serving establishments when the Oak Bluffs select board voted to move up the last-call time in 2023.
Some business owners are concerned whether the business expenses on the Island will eventually drive out less affluent tourists. Stallings said that the housing crunch after the pandemic contributed to labor costs going “through the roof,” and that some restaurants and larger venues that cater to patrons in a higher income bracket seem to have seen better business recently compared to cheaper options. “There may be a break in affordability,” he said.
Elaine Barse, president of the Vineyard Haven Business Association and founder of the Green Room clothing store, said businesses in her town saw a “status quo, maybe down a titch” compared to last year. But she said business expansions in Vineyard Haven seem to be bringing “a bit of a resurgence” to town, especially with eateries like El Barco and S&S Kitchenette. “Vineyard Haven seems to be on people’s radar more,” Barse said.
Lingering questions
There are still some outstanding concerns for the Island’s business community. Ticks were the critters of the season that Islanders worried could deteriorate the Island’s tourism image. Over the summer, there was widespread national coverage about the rise in ticks in the Northeast and the increased risks of contracting tick-borne illnesses like alpha-gal syndrome, which has seen a sharp rise on the Vineyard. In July, Martha’s Vineyard Hospital reported an increase in tick-related visits to its emergency department.
So far, Ashton said, there haven’t been any “measurable impacts” on tourism from the recent coverage about increasing tick encounters. Still, she said, the Chamber is developing a communication plan to raise awareness about ticks on its social media pages. It is also working with its public relations consultant to provide “messaging for our domestic and international travel partners on [Center for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines,” while not discouraging visitorship. “We want visitors to feel confident that with awareness and precautions, they can safely enjoy the Island,” Ashton said.
There is also wariness from some business owners about the shoulder season, when many Canadian tourists visit. President Donald Trump’s rhetoric toward Canada led to a sharp decline in Canadian visitors to the U.S., some of whom have even boycotted American goods.
J.B. Blau, who owns the Oak Bluffs restaurants Sharky’s Cantina and Martha’s Vineyard Chowder Company, said while his businesses “have been holding their own” over the summer, he’s keeping an eye out for the upcoming months. Blau said he’s been speaking with many business owners — at eateries, clubs, and golf courses — in border towns who are suffering “drastically” because of a decline in Canadian visitors. “I’m still worried about the fall,” Blau said.
Ashton said the Vineyard’s business community is “monitoring” how federal policies are developing and what kind of impacts they may have on the Vineyard’s tourism economy in the future.
Still, the Vineyard is a tourist destination attracting droves of visitors. And while there are concerns about the drop in international visitors to the United States, projected to continue beyond this summer, there’s still interest in the Vineyard among prospective vacationers overall. Bossman said he’s received 7 percent more inquiries for 2026 bookings in the last month than the same time last year for 2025 bookings.
“The Island remains a magical place to visit in the summer, and we’re seeing signs that travelers still consider Martha’s Vineyard a top-tier destination for relaxation, culture, and connection,” Ashton said.