Labor Day weekend not only marked the traditional end of the high season along North Carolina’s coast, but also a change in the kind of vacationer and the length of their stay. Kids are back in school, so vacationers are often coming just for the weekend – rather than the week. Reservations around Labor Day were more nightly than the traditional weekly, according to Joel DeMonbreun of Oak Island Accommodations. “We’ve got a lot of folks coming down just for the weekend,” said Tom Johnson with Intracoastal Realty, “For a lot of people [Labor Day] is the last big hurrah for the summer.”
Across the country, most Labor Day vacationers returned home immediately after the holiday, with only 33 percent on vacation past the long weekend, according to TripIt, a leading mobile travel organizer. A historical look at five years of travel itinerary data found more than half (67 percent) of travelers are back at their desks on Tuesday and nearly all travelers (87 percent) are back at their desks by Wednesday. According to the research, 15 percent of Labor Day vacationers are day-trippers; 9 percent stay overnight; 11 percent take a getaway for two nights; 32 percent take exactly three nights; 20 percent extend to a four-day weekend; 9 percent plan a five-night trip; and 4 percent vacation for six, seven or more nights.
After the weekend, North Carolina’s coastal visitor demographic changes. “Retired folks will wait until late September to come to the beach,” Johnson said. And condo and house owners show up after Labor Day for their own vacations or to spiff up their property.
North Carolina visitation data shows that between 15-20 percent of all coastal travelers visit during the fall season. Nearly three-quarters of fall coastal travelers are overnight visitors. Similar statistics on other North Carolina regions can be found here.