Tourists, residents uneasy detente at the beach

Love 'em or hate 'em, tourists fuel a multi-billion economy, create 41,000 jobs and generate $470 million in taxes and fees to the state.

But hey locals, there are some things tourists would like you to know about them.

First off, they aren't in it for the one-night stand.

Delaware's resort tourists – an estimated 3.5 million visit downtown Rehoboth Beach each summer and just shy of 1 million more visit neighboring Dewey, according to the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber – are in the relationship for the long haul.

Many visitors have been coming here since they were children and they now bring their children and grandchildren, summer after summer. They have their beach traditions: Grotto or Nicola for pizza; Thrashers for fries with vinegar, Funland for the Paratrooper and that panoramic view of the ocean.

They love your beach as much as you do.

It's Stuart Isralowitz's third summer visiting Rehoboth Beach.

He and his family keep making the trip from Randolph, New Jersey, because there are a lot of different things to do in Rehoboth.

They discovered Rehoboth Beach the old fashioned way.

"We have friends who told us about it," he said.

Laura Mead, of Oakton, Virginia, has been vacationing in Rehoboth Beach for 20 years now.

"It's a great place to come," she said. "I like the access to the beach."

The big selling points: the family-centered atmosphere, it's not as congested and it's not as commercial.

"We've never had a bad experience,"  she said.

When visitors do complain, the biggest issue is parking – that ticket they got, where to find change or how to navigate the meters and parking permit system.

"Parking. Oh, parking!" said Dave and Donna Kintzer, of Hawthorn Woods, Illinois.

STORY: Even cops surprised by Delaware beach traffic stunts

STORY: Hermine's path moves closer to Delaware coastline

But even with the parking issues, it's still a nice place, they said.

And there's history here for Donna Kintzer. She's been coming to Rehoboth for more than 30 years.

"We enjoy it here," she said. Among the main selling points are the beach and boardwalk.

As for the locals, they depend on both new and repeat visitors.

"We love them. We love the tourists," said James Hastings, who works at Sierra Moon Surf and Skate on Rehoboth Avenue.

His biggest issue is when people shoplift.

And his best tourist horror story is like something right out of fiction.

One time, he saw a customer take something without paying so he went to detain the person until police could arrive.

"She bit me," he said.

For most locals, there's nothing that exciting. Maybe a car cuts them off or somebody parks next to the house all day. Or maybe a customer is in a big hurry – sort of like they forgot they are on vacation.

"Just respect that we're people, too," said Amanda Schoonfield, a barista at The Coffee House on Rehoboth Avenue.

Schoonfield gets it. She moved here a few years ago from New Jersey and she knows it can be hard to adapt.

"They do call it slower, lower for a reason," she said.

Not far away, Andrew Klink mans the stand at Fisher's Popcorn.

He wishes tourists would realize that parking is a problem in the one-square-mile and not get so upset when spaces are hard to come by.

Plus, he wishes visitors would step outside their comfort zone and try some of the famed, local restaurants rather than sticking with the chains that they have back home.

He'd like to see visitors slow down and enjoy their stay by not blocking the intersections on Route 1 or running the traffic lights.

And cyclist Rick Strohm, of Lewes, said he'd like to see visitors share the road a little bit more with people on bikes.

Steve Bunte, of Rehoboth, has some insider advice for tourists.

"September and October is the best time of year down here," he said. "There are cooler temperatures, warm water and less traffic."

Over at the Chamber of Commerce, Carol Everhart, the chief executive officer, said area visitors are an intergenerational lot who are wedded to their beach traditions and if something changes or is missing, they are sad.

Earlier this year, the chamber shifted the date of the annual sand castle contest and the complaints poured in, she said.

On the lighter side of the tourism spectrum, Everhart has two favorites responses.

"The Chamber of Commerce is really not responsible for the weather," she said.

And the most surprising of all: "The caller wanted to know when we let the porpoises out," she said.

Everhart's deadpan response: "They have their own schedule."

Reach Molly Murray at (302) 463-3334 or mmurray@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @MollyMurraytnj.