Jamie Biesiada
In the small Jersey Shore town where I live, the time of year dictates a lot.
I joke that we tolerate our town from June through August to enjoy it the rest of the year.
In those months, you can't just walk into the best restaurants; they require reservations made weeks in advance (especially if they're on the water). If you want to park by the beach, you'd better have a parking pass purchased when they went on sale the winter prior. And you should add 20 minutes onto every trip that requires a car ride because of traffic (bikes are king!).
It's the time when the shore is inundated with out-of-towners (known around here as "bennies"). And who can blame them? I'm a little biased, but in my opinion, we have some of the best beaches in the country. Our small-town charm is pretty strong, too, and I'd put our Main Street up against any.
Things changed a little when the pandemic induced a mass exodus from New York, and many summer visitors moved here permanently, but you can still get a cup of coffee in under half an hour in September.
In fact, one of the Manasquan Tourism Commission's mandates is to increase tourism in the offseason. Yes, I'm a member -- email me if you're interested in Holiday House Tour tickets.
Seasonality is still at play. It is in the larger travel industry, too, but there is evidence it is on the decline.
At Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas earlier this month, a standout trend emerged: Evidence suggests fall is the new summer.
Fall sales are up 69% from the same time last year, and bookings are up 59%, according to David Kolner, executive vice president of strategic communications. More people are traveling in September than August.
That last stat is almost stunning.
I also cover theme parks for Travel Weekly. There used to be times of the year that were slower than others at the parks in Orlando. Growing up, my parents used to pull me from school for a week each October to enjoy smaller Disney crowds, and the weather was still warm enough for swimming. Nowadays, though, there are no slow times in Orlando. Sure, you'll get some days here and there, but not like it used to be.
Will seasonality in the overall travel industry ever disappear?
I posed that question to Kolner and Misty Belles, Virtuoso's vice president of global public relations, during the most recent episode of the Trade Secrets podcast, and their short answer was probably not -- but expect more shifts in seasonality.
"I think that school calendars will always be a factor in how people are able to travel. There's not really a way around that," Belles said. However, she said, as long as work-from-home employees are being pulled back to their offices for less than a full, five-day week, "we'll continue to see seasonality spread out."
Aiding that spread, Kolner added, is the world becoming more globalized.
For travel advisors, it means preparing to book more in traditionally off-season times and selling the many upsides of off-peak visits to destinations.
For me, it means I might have to wait a little longer for that September cup of coffee after all.