Bill Text: NJ AR141 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Proclaims NJ's tourism industry and shore areas open for business after Hurricane Sandy; encourages visitors to explore and support tourist destinations in State.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-02-07 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Tourism and the Arts Committee [AR141 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-AR141-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman MATTHEW W. MILAM
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
Assemblyman NELSON T. ALBANO
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
SYNOPSIS
Proclaims NJ's tourism industry and shore areas open for business after Hurricane Sandy; encourages visitors to explore and support tourist destinations in State.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution proclaiming New Jersey's tourism industry and shore areas open for business after Hurricane Sandy, and encouraging visitors to explore and support tourist destinations throughout the State.
Whereas, Tourism is an integral component of the New Jersey economy and a vibrant travel and tourism industry is vital to the overall economic well-being of New Jersey's citizens; and
Whereas, The Jersey Shore is one of the State's most treasured and precious natural landscapes, and serves as the backbone and heart of tourism in the State, providing an iconic backdrop for many generations of residents and visitors with beloved memories of the beaches, boardwalks, amusements, and many other great shore attractions; and
Whereas, As a result of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy, there is the perception that New Jersey's beaches and other travel and tourism destinations have been destroyed, despite a number of towns and their attractions remaining intact and largely untouched from physical damage, such as the Atlantic City Convention Center and the Historic Boardwalk Hall which were open for business and resuming operations within days after the storm; and
Whereas, Much like the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the BP oil spill disaster in 2010, a significant increase in resources must be allocated to advertise and promote New Jersey's travel and tourism industry to effectively communicate that the State's tourist destinations are open and operational; and
Whereas, Many fundraisers, concerts, and other special events are raising awareness of efforts to restore the Jersey Shore, but patronizing the shore towns, and their hotels, restaurants, retail stores, entertainment venues, and other local businesses, is essential to ensuring the vitality of the shore towns devastated by the storm; and
Whereas, The tourism industry directly generated $16.5 billion, or 3.4%, of New Jersey's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2011, while the tourism economy, including all direct, indirect and induced impacts, generated $33.2 billion GDP, or 6.8% of the State economy; and
Whereas, According to the 2011 Tourism Economic Impact Study, the four shore counties - Cape May, Atlantic, Ocean, and Monmouth - make up more than half of the State's tourism direct sales, accounting for $18.9 billion of more than $37 billion; and
Whereas, Tourism creates jobs that cannot be outsourced, with tourism spending directly supporting 312,000 jobs in New Jersey, and supporting 486,000 jobs through indirect and induced impacts, which is 9.8% of all jobs in the State; and
Whereas, All sectors of New Jersey's economy benefit from tourism activity directly or indirectly, with tourism spanning nearly a dozen sectors, including lodging, recreation, retail, real estate, air passenger transport, food and beverage, car rental, taxi services, travel agents, the arts, cultural and historical attractions, and amusement and other entertainment venues; and
Whereas, Including indirect and induced impacts, tourism in New Jersey generated $4.4 billion in State and local taxes and $4.8 billion in federal taxes last year; and
Whereas, New Jersey has a unique story to tell and the people of the Garden State will continue to show the world the resilience of the businesses, boardwalks, and shore attractions, and that this great State is a strong community that remains united together to rebuild and restore; and
Whereas, It is necessary and in the best interest of the State and in the public interest to proclaim that the Jersey Shore is open for business after Hurricane Sandy, and to encourage citizens and visitors alike to explore and frequent the many tourist destinations open in the shore areas and throughout the State, and support the promotion and marketing thereof; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House proclaims that New Jersey's tourism industry and shore areas are open for business after Hurricane Sandy.
2. This House further encourages citizens and visitors alike to explore and frequent the many tourist destinations open for business throughout the State, and supports the promotion and marketing thereof.
3. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution, signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested to by the Clerk thereof, shall be transmitted to the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the State of New Jersey, the Director of the Division of Travel and Tourism in the Department of State, the President of the New Jersey Travel Industry Association, the Chairman of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, the Chairman of the New Jersey Restaurant Association, the President of the New Jersey Hotel and Lodging Association, and the President of the New Jersey Amusement Association.
STATEMENT
This resolution proclaims that New Jersey's tourism industry and shore areas are open for business after Hurricane Sandy, encourages visitors to explore and frequent the many tourist destinations throughout the State, and supports the promotion and marketing thereof.
A vibrant travel and tourism industry is vital to the overall economic well-being of New Jersey's citizens, and the Jersey Shore is one of the State's most treasured and precious natural landscapes, serving as the backbone and heart of tourism in the State and providing an iconic backdrop for many generations of residents and visitors with beloved memories of the beaches, boardwalks, amusements, and many other great shore attractions.
As a result of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy, there is the perception that New Jersey's beaches and other travel and tourism destinations have been destroyed, despite a number of towns and their attractions remaining intact and largely untouched from physical damage, such as the Atlantic City Convention Center and the Historic Boardwalk Hall which were open for business and resuming operations within days after the storm. Many fundraisers, concerts, and other special events are raising awareness of efforts to restore the Jersey Shore, but patronizing the shore towns, and their hotels, restaurants, retail stores, entertainment venues, and other local businesses, is essential to ensuring the vitality of the shore towns devastated by the storm.
In 2011, the tourism industry directly generated $16.5 billion, or 3.4%, of New Jersey's gross domestic product (GDP), while the tourism economy, including all direct, indirect and induced impacts, generated $33.2 billion GDP, or 6.8% of the State economy. The four shore counties - Cape May, Atlantic, Ocean, and Monmouth - make up more than half of the State's tourism direct sales, accounting for $18.9 billion of more than $37 billion. Tourism creates jobs that cannot be outsourced, with tourism spending directly supporting 312,000 jobs in New Jersey, and supporting 486,000 jobs including indirect and induced impacts, which is 9.8% of all jobs in the State. Including indirect and induced impacts, tourism in New Jersey generated $4.4 billion in State and local tax revenue and $4.8 billion in federal tax revenue last year.
