Consortium of counties champions ferry system to bolster tourism

One possible version of a ferry that could be used to transport tourists along the Chesapeake Bay. Photo Chesapeake Bay Ferry Feasibility Study.

A ferry system connecting communities along the Chesapeake Bay is feasible, according to a new study released by a consortium championing the idea.

The release of the study Thursday is the next step in an effort that began in 2022. Supporters say the plan to move tourists along the bay — without their cars — would generate millions in economic growth.

“It’s going to spur investment in our communities and bring economic development to our state and to our region,” said Kristen Pironis, executive director of Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County.

But Pironis said there’s a “pretty narrow path” to get a basic set of ferry transit routes connecting the region along seven routes.

“It’s not just like all right, turn on the switch, you’re going to have ferries all over the bay. That’s not going to happen,” she said.

Pironis’ organization is one of five – including county economic development or recreation agencies in Calvert, Queen Anne’s, Somerset and St. Mary’s counties – that are spearheading the ferry effort. The consortium hopes the transit system, if built, will bring tourists to areas that do not reap the benefits of the summer migrations of tourists to and from Ocean City.

“Most of the traffic is heading to the beach, so we don’t really get a lot of boost in our economy locally from that traffic, because most people are in a hurry to get to the beach,” said Queen Anne’s County Commissioner Jack Wilson.

“This system will basically drop people off in Queen Anne’s County, and they’ll be stuck there for two days. We will find plenty of things for them to do spending money in Queen Anne’s County,” he joked.

The group hopes to attract visitors to communities along the Chesapeake Bay. Ferries – especially those that transport vehicles and people – are used around the country, including in New York, Delaware, Washington state, Alaska and North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

But the mode, once used in Maryland, is more of a novelty now. Organizers are hoping to use that to attract riders on the seven proposed routes that would connect communities in Maryland, from Baltimore south to Annapolis and other destinations and from southern Maryland communities on the state’s western shore to southern areas of the Eastern Shore.

“One of the advantages, one of the big deals about living here, is that we’re connected to Chesapeake Bay,” said Clint Sterling, director of the Somerset County Department of Recreation and Parks. “That has been a driving theme from our partnership since June.

“To use the Chesapeake Bay as a connector, not a divider. To use it to open up the resources that we have to help our small businesses and our tourism partners that exist there, and all the ancillary products that might come from a project such as this,” Sterling said.

And if ridership increases, additional routes could connect other areas, including Washington, D.C., or parts of Virginia, organizers said.

The study released Thursday estimates that more than 291,000 people would ride the ferries during their 130 days of operation each year, with each route operating five days a week. The projected number of annual passengers represents about 59% of the total capacity of the proposed system. Those projections were based on the full set of routes being in operation.

Ben Cohen, a development facilitator for St. Mary’s County Economic Development, said the lines would be operated through a public-private partnership model “to access the private sector ferry operation expertise, while preserving public sector control of the vision of the comprehensive system, so it is what we want it to be.”

Several important questions remain unanswered.

The feasibility study does not propose a cost for a ticket. It surveyed a number of ferry and water tour operators locally and nationally and reported the average cost of a ticket for one adult approaches $26 for every hour on the water.

Based on that average, a round-trip ticket for one adult traveling the longest proposed route from Baltimore to Rock Hall, would cost over $200 for a journey that would take more than eight hours.

The report projects about 50,000 riders in the first year, generating about $2.5 million in ticket sales based on an average round trip ticket of $50.

“We may not be able to get all the routes up and running within one year. I mean, that’s pretty ambitious,” said Heather Tinelli, director of economic development and tourism for Queen Anne’s County.

The study projects the routes would result in more than $6.7 million in annual impact just from 143 new jobs, particularly crews and staff for the ferries. Passenger spending would also add more than $14.5 million in local economic benefits. Tax revenue is projected to increase by $2.6 million, according to the study.

The plan would require significant capital to get off the page and onto the Bay.

At least $8 million would be needed to purchase the ferries needed to run the routes. Another $5 million would be needed to improve the stations. Annual operating costs are projected at $5 million annually.

“In addition, the financial analysis estimates a net operating loss in the first year of operations without a subsidy of any kind,” according to the study.

The study recommends several revenue streams including advertising on ferries, government funding, grants and in-kind services from communities where the stations are located.