Ocean City Reaps Record Beach Tag Revenue This Summer

Ocean City benefited from nice weather and a surge in daytrippers to rake in a record amount of beach tag revenue during what was a reasonably strong 2024 summer season.

Overall, beach tag sales generated $6,237,000 in revenue this year, eclipsing the previous record of $6,089,390 set in 2023, said Frank Donato, the city’s chief financial officer.

“The fact that we exceeded last year, obviously, is a good sign,” Donato said in an interview.

Year after year, beach tag sales are a closely watched indicator to measure the strength of the summer tourism season at the shore.

A price increase in Ocean City’s beach tags that first took effect in 2023 continued to drive up revenue this year, Donato noted.

Starting in 2023, the cost of seasonal beach tags rose from $25 to $35, weekly tags went from $10 to $20 and daily tags increased from $5 to $10. A $5 discount is offered on seasonal tags purchased before May 31.

Donato explained that this summer’s sultry, relatively dry weather was another factor in the increase in beach tag revenue.

“The weather was in our favor as well. It was a great summer weather-wise,” he said.

    Higher beach tag prices first approved in 2023 helped to drive up revenue.
  

One new trend in Ocean City that helped to boost revenue was a jump in the number of daily beach tags sold from Monday to Friday – the so-called daytripper market, Donato pointed out.

“Anecdotally, it seems that we’re seeing more daytrippers coming down midweek,” he said.

Altogether, 167,180 daily beach tags were sold this summer, a jump of almost 10,000 over 2023.

The number of seasonal tags sold this year was 123,975, which was consistent with 2023. A total of 37,615 weekly tags were sold, virtually identical to 2023, Donato said.

With more than $6 million in revenue, Ocean City traditionally leads all towns at the Jersey Shore in the amount of beach tag sales.

“We’re by far the biggest,” Donato said.

    Chief Financial Officer Frank Donato says the nice summer weather and a jump in the number of daytrippers visiting the city were key factors in beach tag sales.
  

Ocean City also has a geographical advantage over other shore towns. Its 7-mile-long beachfront is much bigger than neighboring communities, allowing it to handle enormous summer crowds that can swell to about 150,000 people, compared to the year-round population of about 11,200.

Ocean City has had beach tags since 1976. They are required from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Beach tag revenue is an important source of funding. It covers the cost of keeping the beaches clean, employing lifeguards, hiring summer police officers and paying for the city’s share of beach replenishment projects in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The city raised the price of beach tags in 2023 because of the rising cost to maintain, clean and protect the beaches.

Ocean City’s summer parking fees are another key source of revenue for the town. Donato reported that parking revenue will come in at about $4,025,000 for this year, about the same as the $4 million in 2023.

“By and large, it’s pretty much a mirror image of last year,” he said.

    Total parking revenue came in at a little more than $4 million for the summer.