TOURISM, ARTS & CULTURE INTERVIEW
Diversity From its downtowns to craft wineries and a bevy of attractions, South Jersey’s advantage is its diverse offerings
Michael Snyder Director of Operations – Visit South Jersey this in a number of ways, such as social media, digital advertising and traditional media relations, and we focus our effort on the millions within driving range of South Jersey. We work closely with the state department of travel and tourism in the goal of promoting New Jersey as a destination.
What makes South Jersey such an attractive region for visitors? South Jersey has a diverse offering. We have wonderful downtowns, craft beverage and dining, cultural and agricultural spots, and a range of varied attractions for any audience. We are also remarkably close to Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore and New York City. It’s incredibly easy for nearby residents to escape to South Jersey for a day, weekend or longer. What is the importance of Visit South Jersey to the community? As an organization, our main goal has always been to attract visitors from outside of South Jersey and we also work to communicate offerings to residents, whether they’re long term or new to the area. We accomplish 30
| Invest: South Jersey 2021 | ECONOMY: TOURISM, ARTS & CULTURE
What is the state of hospitality and tourism in South Jersey? Recently, the division of travel and tourism for the state of New Jersey released its yearly report for tourism impact in the state. Tourism and lodging were devastated in 2020 in New Jersey as they were internationally. We lost $17 billion in 2020 alone from visitor spending year over year, and we had a 27% drop in visitation to the state. Tourism is one of the Top 5 revenue generators for the state and it has an unmistakable impact on South Jersey, particularly our wine region in the Outer Coastal Plain. However, the impact on South Jersey, which enjoys fairly steady casual/spontaneous weekend and day-trip visitation throughout the seasons, pales in comparison to the impact on the Jersey Shore where travel is frequently pre-planned, rental based and longer in duration as well as seasonal. What is your near-term outlook? 2020 challenges continue to ripple into 2021, but demand is high and our state and federal government is doing everything it can to boost the industry overall. Finding adequate workforce is one of the biggest challenges we’re feeling throughout the region. Organizationally, we are in a great position. Our assets are ready to greet visitors when they are ready to return. While 2020 erased seven years of tourism gains, we expect to see a rebound within a much shorter period of time. Three or four years is the projection to exceed 2019 numbers.
