"It was really good," said Dana Barnes, owner of Small Crafts Advisory, a boutique in Stone Harbor. "It was crowded. It was hot. Beaches were crowded. I had a really good season."
At Stone Harbor Bar and Grill, owner Brett DeNafo said the summer felt like it flew by, with business varying month to month.
"Memorial Day weekend was terrific. June was awful because of the weather. And then July was OK, nothing great, and then August just took off here," DeNafo said.
Despite a strong finish, DeNafo admitted July had him concerned.
"Fourth of July weekend was amazing, and then after that it fell off a cliff, and then it came back towards the end of the month," he said. "So maybe people were just holding some of their money and not coming in until August."
Cape May County tourism officials are currently reviewing business data and say early indicators show summer 2025 revenue is comparable to last year.
However, they've noticed a shift in visitor behavior.
"The economy continues to be an issue. People are cutting their vacation stays down. So we're seeing a very strong Thursday to Sunday," said Diane Wieland, Cape May County's director of tourism.
In Atlantic City, casinos saw an uptick in in-person gaming revenue during May, June, and July, following a slower start to the year.
"Overall, the summer was pretty good based on gross gaming revenue," said Jane Bokunewicz of the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism at Stockton University. "However some of the casinos did better than others so it was unevenly distributed among the casinos."
While local officials say the season was generally successful, Canadian tourism was down by about 30%, which they attribute to international policy conflicts earlier in the year.
Efforts are now underway to launch marketing campaigns aimed at bringing those visitors back next season.