CAPE MAY — The Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cape May, the city’s Tourism Commission and Mid Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC) are cooperating on advertising and travel trade shows to draw visitors to this city in uncertain economic times.
Bill Causey, chamber advertising chairman, told members at a Feb. 10 meeting of upcoming full page ads in three magazines: New Jersey Countryside, New Jersey Monthly and Cape May magazine. The ads are cooperative effort of the chamber and tourism commission and participating merchants, he said.
Causey said New Jersey Monthly had a circulation of over 100,000 readers and reached those with an income of over $250,000 per year. Ads will be concentrated May through October.
He said target areas where suburban Philadelphia and New York for chamber advertising.
Chamber President Robert Steenrod said a recent travel show saw over 1,000 people visit Cape May’s booth.
At a meeting of the Tourism Commission the following day, Steenrod said stories about Cape May have appeared in a number of publications. He said stories have appeared in the Newark Star Ledger, Complete Woman, Edge Publications, Town Talk, Metromedia, and Trip Atlas.
The commission has a contract with the Sherry Group, a public relations firm, to issue press releases and to encourage travel writers to visit the city. The group has suggested media tour here for travel writers for the weekend of May 15-17.
Commission member Gus Andy suggested the chamber needed a new map of the city for visitors. He said while the map had “very good fundamentals, it looked a little tired.” The map cover is beige and green and features a woman in a Victorian era bathing suit.
Andy suggested a new map be designed that was more “exciting and contemporary” with better graphics. He provided maps from cities in Florida and Europe as examples.
Steenrod said the current chamber map provides free listings to chamber members. The chamber prints about 40,000 copies per year.
He suggested assembling a chamber committee to discuss the possibilities of a new map.
Commission member Dagmar Chew said a map is the first thing tourists ask for when checking into accommodations.
“I don’t think it is a question of money, it will defray itself,” said Andy.
He said a map should do more than just guide visitors. Andy said it should create an “atmosphere and an environment.”
Commissioners also discussed sending a resolution to City Council requesting a portion of funds received from the city’s room tax be used for tourism promotion.
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