Remoteness of Outer Banks fuels stunning jump in tourists during pandemic, NPS says

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is credited with sending people in droves to North Carolina’s Outer Banks in recent weeks.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore tallied its June visitation and reports 399,364 visitors, which qualifies as the second highest June attendance since the park opened in 1953.

It amounts to a 4% increase over 2019, the park said in a release.

The all-time June attendance record was 18 years ago, in 2002, when the park attracted 410,366 people, according to the release.

Park officials speculate the remoteness of the barrier islands is fueling the rise. The islands are separated from the mainland by a series of sounds, forcing visitors to use bridges or ferries, in cases where the island has no road.

“The ease at which it is possible to remain socially distanced on area beaches may have helped contribute to the increased visitation last month,” Superintendent David Hallac said in a press release. “The Seashore offers 70 miles of undeveloped beaches.”

Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout national seashores, which are adjacent, left their entrances open during the pandemic. But the coastal counties that include most of the islands set up road blocks and turned visitors away to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The National Park Service closed visitor centers, public restrooms and campgrounds at most parks during the early weeks of the pandemic, including the facilities on the Outer Banks.

The National Park Service continues to ask visitors to maintain social distance, and to wear a cloth face cover when crowds are unavoidable.

This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 3:33 PM.