Atlantic County officials are embarking on a countywide marketing campaign for the first time in decades, arguing the area can no longer rely on Atlantic City’s brand alone to bring tourists and businesses to the region.
Earlier this month, the Atlantic County Economic Alliance voted unanimously to spend $40,000 on a one-year marketing campaign headed by NJ Southern Shore DMO to promote tourism beyond the casinos in Atlantic City. The campaign, the first of its sort in nearly 30 years, is part of a broader effort by the county to diversify its economy beyond just gambling.
Atlantic County brings in nearly $6.7 billion per year in tourism revenue. Of that, about $2.6 billion comes from casinos. That means the remaining revenue streams are from smaller towns such as Hammonton and Buena Vista’s Richland section, among many others.
NJ Southern Shore DMO already markets Cape May and Cumberland counties. The DMO, or destination marketing organization, promotes those counties on its website and at trade shows throughout the United States and Canada.