Cape Cod Tourism Grows to $2.8 Billion as Great White Sharks Spawn New Ecotourism
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 6
Cape Cod Tourism Grows to $2.8 Billion as Great White Sharks Spawn New Ecotourism
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 6
Summary
Cape Cod’s tourism economy rose to nearly $2.8 billion from almost $2 billion in 2019, even as great white sharks became a defining feature of the destination.
That growth has been helped by shark-focused tourism: the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy offers $2,500 private charters and $500 per-person trips that often book weeks ahead and feed data into research.
The shark surge is tied to a rebound in gray seals after the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act; seal numbers climbed from about 2,000 in 1994 to 30,000-50,000 in 2017, and a 2023 study estimated roughly 800 white sharks visited Cape waters from 2015 to 2018.
Cape Cod National Seashore has still logged fewer recreational visits, with shark warning signs, purple flags and 'Stop the Bleed' kits now standard after a fatal 2018 attack and two earlier nonfatal bites.
Officials and researchers say the sharks have not grown more aggressive, but beachgoers are urged to avoid seals, swim in groups and stay alert into the fall after lifeguard coverage ends.