Paul headshotReflecting back on the year that was 2024, it amazes me just how much our team accomplished. Below you will read many of those accomplishments – from our destination marketing and public policy work to our economic development and member-based efforts. As noteworthy as these accomplishments all are, there’s something I witnessed this year that amazed me even more (almost as much as our buddy Doug the Quahog’s spot-on summer prediction).

 

It’s easy to get lost in the details of the day to day when you’re heads down, knee deep in challenging work. I asked a lot of our team this last year, I will admit, but they didn’t just consistently rise to the occasion – they never lost sight of the big picture, our “why”.

 

Here at the Chamber, there is a tremendous level of passion for the people and greater community of Cape Cod and helping build a better future here. While there is certainly some uncertainty heading into 2025, there is also much to look forward to. I am confident that the Cape’s best years await.  

 

Let’s take a look back at what we are most proud of about 2024, and preview what’s ahead for 2025.


Our 2024 Wins:
 

  • Welcomed 100 new members, and had 992 attendees to our networking and annual events for the year. (Among those attendees: Governor Maura Healey, at our Annual Meeting, and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll, at our Travel & Tourism Industry Forum.)
     
  • New Membership Tiers: Our new membership offerings provide greater engagement opportunities and include new services such as a Leadership Workshop Series with complimentary tickets, Leads Group, and an official non-profit discount.
     
  • Destination Rebrand: This was the Chamber’s first substantial branding update in more than two decades. Our new destination brand identity, “Cape Cod – Truly Yours,” centers on honoring old traditions, and discovering new ones.  
     
  • New Travel Website: The newly designed CapeCodChamber.org fully integrates our “Cape Cod – Truly Yours” branding, and includes enhanced navigation, interactive features (like our new Trip Builder itinerary tool), and stunning video and photography throughout. Our website remains #1 in Google searches for Cape Cod and had over 2.9 million unique visits in 2024.
     
  • Cape Cod Travel Guide – awarded, for the second year in a row, a Gold MarCom Award for exceeding a high standard of excellence in publications.
     
  • Launched the Cape Cod CDL Training Program
     
  • Blue Economy Foundation: Katy Acheson was appointed Executive Director of our sister organization in 2024. She oversaw the relaunch of bluecapecod.org and the successful second year of the Big Blue Conference.  
     
  • Expanded our social media coverage to now include eight pages between the Cape Cod Chamber and Blue Economy Foundation. We also created a quarterly newsletter, “Catch the Wave,” to keep readers updated on our Blue Economy Foundation initiatives.
     
  • “The Collective”: Our monthly Chamber newsletter consistently retained an above-industry-average open rate of 42%
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  • Hydrangea Fest: 2024 marked the 10th year of our beloved Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival, which saw 100 private gardens open for tours, raising $120,000 for 34 local nonprofits.
     
  • CIBC: We formed the Cape & Islands Bridges Coalition (CIBC), engaging more than 40 business and community representatives from diverse industries and geographic areas across the Cape, Islands, Greater Boston, and South Shore. In June we traveled to D.C. with founding members of the CIBC and held nine meetings over two days with federal offices, advocating for full funding and replacement of the Cape Cod Bridges.
     
  • Secured $1.07 million in state earmark funding for economic development, workforce development, housing, and renewable energy initiatives.
     
  • Served on the Affordable Homes Act Steering Committee and the Governor’s Transportation Funding Task Force. Last month I was appointed to the state’s Seasonal Communities Advisory Council, which will help shape the implementation of the Seasonal Communities Designation, established by the Affordable Homes Act.

 

Our 2025 Priorities:
 

  • Bridges: The replacement of the Canal bridges is the existential issue facing Cape Cod. 2024 brought exciting progress – in July the federal government announced a $993 million grant toward replacing the Sagamore Bridge. With additional federal funding plus state funding commitments, the Sagamore replacement is now possible. In 2025, the Cape Cod Chamber and CIBC are committed to ensuring those federal funds are secured, and we will be closing monitoring the forthcoming environmental review process. We are also committed to identifying funding options for the Bourne Bridge replacement and will be working closely with our state and federal delegations to advocate for Bourne. It cannot be overstated how imperative it is that there are paths forward for both bridges to ensure the economic future of our region.
     
  • TDMD: Tourism is the backbone of our economy, bringing $2.7 million in direct spending and employing 14,000 Cape residents. The Cape, however, is facing increased competition from across the state and our New England neighbors, and the ever-growing short-term vacation rental market poses a significant challenge to our traditional lodging industry. To remain competitive and leverage the lodging capacity we already have, hotel businesses need sustainable, dedicated resources to attract and retain visitors. A Tourism Destination Marketing District (TDMD) designation would allow hotels, through a special assessment on room revenue, to generate funds for targeted marketing campaigns, community events, workforce housing initiatives and other infrastructure investments to help bolster lodging business on Cape Cod. The Chamber is actively pursuing TDMDs in nine towns across the Cape who have lodging properties with 85 rooms or more, and we hope to have many – if not all – of these districts established by the end of 2025.
     
  • Sports Facility: If you have children who play sports, then I know you’ve spent countless hours driving over the bridges to get to games, and even practices. Having a multipurpose sports facility on the Cape would not only be a major convenience for our young athletes and their families – it could also bring business to the Cape that we don’t see now, in the form of sports leagues from across the state and country, and other large groups for a variety of meetings. This year the Chamber will form a committee to explore all potential avenues for a multipurpose sports facility on Cape Cod. I will also be serving on a committee that will identify options for the redevelopment of the former Mattacheese Middle School property in Yarmouth – the property’s potential for a multipurpose facility will be explored.

 

Here's to a prosperous New Year.