Press release issued by The Gloucester County Board of Chosen Freeholders
The Gloucester County Board of Chosen Freeholders are excited to announce that as of 2017, the economic impact of tourism report ranked Gloucester County second in the state in tourism industry sales and third in the state in 2016. The county also had the highest increase in direct tourism employment at 7.6 percent, or 5,346 jobs in 2017; a large jump from the previous 4,970 jobs in 2016.
Freeholder Director Robert M. Damminger said, “With so many great locations to come and visit in Gloucester County both new and old, it’s no surprise that the tourism industry has seen such an exciting rise in sales and other business aspects.”
In New Jersey as a whole on average, spending from 310 travelers supports one New Jersey job, and one out of every 14.5 workers in New Jersey is supported by tourism.
Gloucester county saw a 5.4 percent increase in tourism direct sales that equates to $481 million compared to $456 million in 2016. The majority of this visitor spending is spent on lodging and food, as well as transportation and retail.
According to the Economic Impact of Tourism in New Jersey, over the span of 2018 visitation growth is expected to continue to be positive for a combination of reasons including continued wage gains in the U.S. in 2018, consumer confidence remaining solid, and uptick in vacation intentions in early 2018.
Freeholder Director Damminger said, “This increase in tourism sales shows that Gloucester County is becoming quite the place to be. With graduating classes and numbers of visiting families growing larger for Rowan University, the Marriott hotel on Rowan Boulevard will see more business and more people will come and visit the county, and with the new Courtyard Marriott open in Deptford, there will be more space for incoming visitors to experience everything we have to offer.”
