Summer was solid for most

The numbers are in and they’re not bad, not bad at all, despite a miserably slow spring that put a damper on the launch of Ocean City’s traditional tourist season.

As it turned out, Ocean City had a slight increase in tourism numbers over last year, according to Smith Travel Research (STR), a data research firm that compiles room and visitor information for the lodging industry.

At the minimum, more than 30 percent of the lodging properties in Ocean City are included in the data.

“It is mandatory and a franchise requirement to report room information to the STR,” said Susan Jones, executive director of the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association. “Some independent hotels also participate, including the Carousel and the Grand Hotel because it is good data to compare your numbers to similar hotels.”

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