Other off-the-beaten-track beaches are being discovered by visitors who are more interested in wildlife than nightlife. “We watched the monks bless the horseshoe crabs from our deck,” she recalls. The annual highlight is a blessing of the horseshoe crabs by Buddhist monks. There’s no boardwalk, no restaurants, no hotels. When Welch was growing up in Kent County, her family enjoyed getaways at Pickering Beach on the Delaware Bay, just north of Kits Hummock, sharing a small sandy stretch with greenhead flies. “An amazing number of people from the Midwest are planning trips to Delaware, some driving campers 12 hours and camping,” she says.

At a recent tourism conference in Chicago, Delaware’s beaches emerged as a popular destination. More than 1 million visitors consulted Visit Delaware, the state tourism website, for travel information. Last year, First State innkeepers welcomed 10 million visitors, defined as lodgers staying in a hotel for more than two nights. Statistics do show that higher prices are not a widespread deterrent for travelers. Those figures don’t take into account the premiums commanded in seasonal resort markets. AirDNA, an analytics company providing data for the short-term rental industry, cited a 5.6% increase in the price of a nightly stay.

The tourism office doesn’t keep statistics on rental rates in the state. You might have to drive to the beach, but it’s more affordable.” “People who can’t find a place in Rehoboth or Lewes are looking at Fenwick Island, or South Bethany, even Millsboro. “We are seeing the beaches expanding,” says Jessica Welch, director of the Delaware Tourism Office. With demand for lodgings outstripping supply, some vacationers are pivoting to Plan B with such strategies as renting further from the beach in such locales as historic Milton and Ocean View, where the only glimpse of the Atlantic is by drone. The start of summer vacation season is three months away, yet many would-be renters at Delaware beaches have not secured their place in the sun.

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