Grant to Market Cape May-Cumberland Counties as One Destination

COURT HOUSE — The Southern Shore Regional Destination Marketing Organization (SSRDMO) recently received a grant for $141,000 to market Cape May and Cumberland counties as one destination.
The 2012 Destination Marketing Grant awarded by the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism (NJDOTT) has helped the SSRDMO invest $1.8 million dollars in the singular destination known as NJ’s Southern Shore over the past seven years.
The SSRDMO is one of sixteen tourism-related organizations in New Jersey to receive funding from a committee of business and industry partners designated by the state’s Division of Travel and Tourism to evaluate each applicant.
“It is satisfying to know that our marketing strategies and knowledge of the product known as NJ’s Southern Shore are considered by the Division of Travel and Tourism and its statewide business and industry partners as best practice,” said Diane Wieland, chairperson of the SSRDMO and director of tourism for Cape May County.
“The funding grant will provide for staffing at Oceanview Welcome Center, support for the Travel Show cooperative and web-based marketing initiatives as part of the 2012 SSRDMO budget approved as part of the grant requirements,” Wieland said.
“The state’s Division of Travel and Tourism has given us the opportunity through the DMO grant program to create a consistent marketing strategy for the local regional marketplace,” she added.
The purpose of the NJ DMO grant program is to empower the targeted destination to offer a cohesive vacation experience in a time of increased competition, and to partner with the state’s Division of Travel and Tourism to promote the region as a premier travel destination.
Southern Shore Region tourism’s contribution to the state’s economy totals $5.3 billion. The region’s tourism economy is second only to Atlantic City in total visitor expenditures. Tourism makes a vital contribution to the wider social and economic well-being of the region with more than 48 percent of the total economy dependent on the industry as the engine that provides jobs, regenerates downtown/main street areas, conserves historic buildings, builds interest in the environment and maintains the economic viability of local businesses.
The Southern Shore Regional Destination Marketing Organization (SSRDMO), incorporated by the state of New Jersey in 1983 as a tourism council, is a member organization dedicated to the promotion and management of the tourism activities in Cape May and Cumberland counties. Tourism is recognized as the primary industry in both counties, and through active participation with the SSRDMO, have leveraged resources, financial and otherwise, to support the positive growth of tourism as a regional product.
Southern Shore Regional Destination Marketing Organization (SSRDMO) exceeds more than $1.8 million dollars in funding from the state with recent grant award