In 2014, tourism-related demand for New Jersey generated $42.1 billion—a 3.8 percent increase from 2013—according to Acting Governor, Kim Guadagno, who spoke during the 2015 New Jersey Conference on Tourism in Atlantic City.
“With the Jersey Shore as the mainstay of our tourism industry, our challenge has been to broaden our vision and spread the word about the countless other, often lesser-known, tourist and recreational opportunities in New Jersey,” says Guadagno. “The news from across the state is great: our non-Shore counties now account for 51.2 percent of all tourism spending. In 2014, 20 of 21 counties saw an increase in tourism industry sales. Together, we are showing our residents, the nation and the world that there are opportunities for enjoyment in every part of this great state.”
The annual conference in which the news was revealed, is hosted by the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association and features educational seminars, networking opportunities, and trends and best practices for industry representatives.
Other figures from the report revealed that visitation in New Jersey rose to 93.2 million last year—a 4.4 percent increase over 2013—and tourism generated $36.4 billion of state GDP in 2014, or 6.6 percent of the entire state economy.
“Tourism in our state is extremely vibrant,” says NJTIA President Sharon Franz, NJTIA president and sales and marketing director at Steel Pier in Atlantic City. “Couple that with the variety of our attractions and destinations, and it becomes easy and enjoyable to find outstanding work being done in the industry.”
