Nantucket Chamber Director Weighs-In On ACK Now Short-Term Rental Study
Peter Burke •
To the editor: In response to the economic impact study - To start, we encourage all voters to attend the Special Town Meeting on Tuesday Nov. 7th, and to practice civility and respect for our fellow community members before, during and after the discussions.
The recent data analysis from FXM Associates summarized the spending dollars of locals vs visitors in the 75/25 percent range respectively. While the data FXM accessed may support that summary, it is not in line with the anecdotal data provided to us by many of our Chamber members. Specifically, members in retail, hospitality, and activities industries have cited a reverse percentage, with a majority of dollars coming from visitors. Also, by excluding "rent or shelter", the FXM analysis could exclude nearly all the dollars spent at hotels and inns, who rely heavily on visitors.
We would encourage any business owner to access data provided by their own point of sale software when considering Articles 1 and 2.
Many systems offer access to the originating zip codes and spending habits of customers that pay by credit card, telling a more accurate tale for each individual business.
Peter Burke
Nantucket Chamber of Commerce