Jersey shore optimistic about summer tourism

TRENTON, N.J. – Good, but not great.

That's how state, local and tourism industry officials across New Jersey describe their expectations for the upcoming summer season, which unofficially kicks off in a couple weeks when hundreds of thousands of people are expected to flock to locations along the Jersey Shore.

While aware that economic concerns will likely keep many residents in the region closer to home again this summer, officials also know that about 30 million people live within 300 miles of the shore area and they're looking for new things to do and places to go.

With that in mind, officials hope not only to draw these visitors to the shore by promoting family friendly — and wallet friendly — fare such as beach concerts, big band dances, museums, library events, children's shows and boat parades as drawing cards to attract tourists.

"We're looking toward a good summer season — we are not talking 'banner' but good," said Diane Wieland, tourism director for Cape May County. She said summer rentals in the area appear to be up slightly in some areas from last year, while markets remain stable in other spots.

Many real estate agents had expressed concern over the winter that many visitors who in the past would stay for a week or longer would instead consider shorter trips — three or four days — this season as they dealt with financial uncertainty surrounding the sluggish economy.

However, that appears to be less of a concern now, as prices for many summer rentals remain around the same levels as last year and interest in them remains stable.

Another reason for optimism is that surging gas prices — which forced many travelers to reconsider their plans last year — appear to be a thing of the past.

"The relative stability and low price of gas, which we believe will likely last through the summer months, is a potential boon for travel within the state to our beaches and other summer destinations," said David Weinstein, a spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic. "Federal data shows that New Jerseyans are driving more recently, and we're optimistic this will become a trend and that our industry will benefit."

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