Tourism up in mercer
PRINCETON — More people are visiting the county despite extreme weather conditions, according to a report released last week.
According to the findings from the Economic Impact of Tourism in New Jersey, revenue from tourists in Mercer County is up more than four percent to $1.151 million in 2013. That is higher than the state average of a 1.3 percent increase, according to the report.
A $40 billion state-wide industry, the findings show despite Hurricane Sandy, and a cooler than normal spring season, visitor trips to New Jersey reached 87.2 million. In Mercer County that translated to a 3 percent uptick in tourism related employment or over 11,500 positions.
“Mercer County has much to offer, and as we work with our tourism partners, waves of newcomers are discovering the riches that make us unique and sought after,” added Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes. “The Mercer region’s strong transportation network, including the rejuvenated Trenton-Mercer Airport, increase opportunities for visitors to appreciate our beautiful and historic county, and as the data indicates, the Mercer region’s appeal continues to grow.”
By monitoring the economic impact created by an increase in tourism, policy makers can make informed decisions regarding how much funding goes toward building this segment of the economy, according to the report. Tourism is measured in the same categories as other economic stimulators — tax generation, employment, wages, and gross domestic product.
Nationally, leisure travel spending totaled $597 billion and $89 billion in tax revenues in 2012 according to figures from the U.S. Travel Association. Tourism expenditures supported 14.6 million jobs across the county — or 1 out of 8 U.S. jobs — that paid $200.9 billion in wages and $128.8 billion in tax revenues, accounting for 2.8 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product.
Morris County saw the biggest spike in revenue, bringing in almost a seven percent increase in total travel related spend. At the bottom of the list, Atlantic County saw a nearly four percent dip in their tourism income.
Mercer County and the regional chamber of commerce expects the increase in flights into and out of the Ewing based Trenton-Mercer Airport — thanks to Frontier’s decision to serve 17 cities by this summer — will help sustain the revenue growth from tourism in the county.
“The Princeton region and New Jersey in general have done a great job of making sure they get their slice of the tourism pie,” said Roger Dow, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO. “Travel dollars are some of the best dollars for any economy. The resulting jobs cannot be outsourced, and the average maximum salary for someone who began their career in travel is over $80,000, way more than the vast majority of industries. Travel promotion isn’t expenditure — it’s an investment that pays immediate economic dividends for any state or region. Congratulations to the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitor’s Bureau on this latest round of travel and tourism figures.”
On average the entire state saw a rise in tourism-related income however, not all tourist attractions are still doing well. Filings with the Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) shows casino win from the 11 casino hotels open in both February 2013 and 2014 decreased by 1.5 percent.
Although the brick and mortar casinos are have not come back to pre-recession levels, online gaming seems to be subsidizing for their loses. Internet gaming win increased 8.9 percent, from $9.5 million in January 2014 to $10.3 million for February 2014. Over 248,000 internet gaming accounts have been created since the beginning of soft play on November 21, 2013, up 25.5 percent% from the 197,782 accounts as of January 31, 2014, according to the DGE.