For Immediate Release
Contact:
Robert Hilton
Executive Director
Jersey Shore Convention & Visitors Bureau
Tel: 732.337.7061
robertjhilton@aol.com
BUSINESSES OF ALL SECTORS UNITING TO SHOWCASE A SHORE FOR ALL SEASONS
Free February 12 Symposium to launch “A Partnership for Success” to promote year-round tourism in Monmouth and Ocean Counties
Freehold, NJ – February 8, 2010 – Drawing from nearly every business sector – from hotels, restaurants and seaside arcades to commercial laundries, restaurant supply houses and local markets – a new business force is rising like high tide and launching a wave to showcase Monmouth and Ocean counties as a shore for all seasons.
“A Partnership for Success” is the powerful idea behind the newly organized Jersey Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau (JSCVB) and its 2010 Symposium scheduled for February 12 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Lakewood, beginning at 8:30 a.m. The JSCVB is supported by a joint effort of the Monmouth County and Ocean County departments of tourism created to foster a coordinated partnership between government and the wide variety of businesses in both counties impacted by tourism. The symposium is being co-hosted by the MODC Cultural & Tourism Committee.
The symposium will allow businesses, as well as local chambers of commerce and government bodies, to learn about the benefits of the $100 membership in the JSCVB, which include preferred treatment on the web site; priority consideration for inclusion in press and travel trade tours; priority consideration for reference in press releases and marketing campaigns; representation at consumer and travel expositions; and advocacy through the NJ Travel Industry Association and the U.S. Travel Association.
“We are a destination marketing organization and our goal is to market the Jersey Shore,” said Robert Hilton, executive director of the JSCVB. “With the economy the way it is today, the greatest challenge is letting people know what’s going on in this region. People can’t advertise individually the way they did before. We have the ability to advertise, get to trade shows, put information on the Internet and reach people to tell them what’s happening year-round. Individually, businesses don’t have the budget to do all that.”
For example, the JSCVB soon will be launching a $35,000, five-week media marketing campaign using radio station WPLJ that will promote local activities and drive consumers to www.visitthejerseyshore.com.
“Tourism makes a vital contribution to the social and economic well-being of the region,” said Jeanne DeYoung, director of tourism for Monmouth County, who noted that each visitor spends nearly $550 and creates $64 in state and local tax revenue and that every 160 visitors creates one job and $240 in wages. “Tourism is an economic engine that provides jobs, builds interest in the environment and maintains the economic viability of many local businesses.”
Barbara Steele, director of public affairs and tourism for Ocean County, added, “This symposium will be an opportunity to network. It will provide nuts and bolts information about the resources and support that are available to anybody who has tourism dollars flowing through their business or organization, either directly or indirectly.”
That brush paints a very wide stroke, according to Hilton. While many business sectors benefiting from tourism are obvious – such as hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts; restaurants; seaside entertainment and shopping outlets – others are less apparent, he said. They can include such disparate businesses as commercial laundries and restaurant supply houses; non-traditional shore entertainment venues for rainy days; local markets and convenience stores that enjoy greater foot-traffic when tourism increases; contractors and construction companies; business services firms; and many others, he said.
The JSCVB already boasts an impressive membership list, including Monmouth Park Racetrack, Six Flags Great Adventure, the Molly Pitcher Inn and the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, Jenkinson’s Pavilion in Point Pleasant, Seastreak Ferry and Seaside Heights. However, the JSCVB is not just for large businesses, DeYoung stresses.
“In the current challenging economy, the JSCVB offers an additional outlet for businesses, large and small alike, to access a customer base through cooperative marketing and partnerships year-round that perhaps would not be accessible to them on their own,” she said.
Hilton added, “The local food market, pharmacist or hardware store may never have felt a need to advertise to out-of-town travelers, but when more people visit the region, they have more customers. Tourism benefits all of us. When people come to the Jersey Shore it creates revenue, it generates taxes and keeps property taxes down. It raises all boats.”
The Jersey Shore CVB 2010 Symposium – Tourism & Business / A Partnership for Success will be held Friday, February 12 at the Hilton Garden Inn at 1885 Route 70, Lakewood. Networking and a continental breakfast begin at 8:30 a.m., with the program starting at 9:00 a.m. There is no charge to attend.
To register for the symposium, contact the Jersey Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau by phone at 732-303-5984, fax at 732-845-0412 or email at director@visitthejerseyshore.com.
What:
The Jersey Shore CVB 2010 Symposium
Tourism & Business - “A Partnership for Success”
A panel discussion about the Jersey Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau, its activities to promote year-round tourism for Monmouth and Ocean counties and the benefits of membership.
Where:
Hilton Garden Inn
1885 Route 70, Lakewood
When:
Friday – February 12
Networking and Continental Breakfast - 8:30 a.m.
Program - 9:00-11:00 a.m.
How:
To Register:
Call 732-303-5984
Fax 732-845-0412
Email director@visitthejerseyshore.com
There is no charge to attend the symposium
No comments:
Post a Comment