SexyÕæÈË

TRENTON, SexyÕæÈË â€“ A total of 14 tourism-related organizations were awarded Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) Grants totaling over $1.5 million to expand tourism marketing opportunities in New Jersey in Fiscal Year 2014. The organizations work with local entertainment venues, restaurants, retail outlets, and hotels to promote a municipality or region’s historical, cultural, and artistic attractions.

Destination Marketing Organization Grants were awarded to the following organizations:

• Atlantic City Convention and Visitor Authority - $83,750
• Central Jersey Convention and Visitors Bureau in Middlesex County – $110,000
• Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau - $118,000
• Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs - $82,350
• Jersey City Economic Development Corporation – $96,000
• Meadowlands Liberty Convention and Visitors Bureau - $132,000
• Morris County Tourism Bureau - $130,000
• Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce - $112,000
• Shore Regional Tourism Council - $114,000
• Somerset County Business Partnership - $98,000
• South Jersey Tourism Corporation - $128,000
• Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce - $116,000
• Southern Shore Regional Tourism Council - $140,000
• Sussex County Chamber of Commerce - $90,000

A one-time supplemental award was also distributed to approved grant applicants based on additional marketing support needed in the aftermath of tourism losses as a result of Superstorm Sandy. Such awards were based on tourism spending by county, counties most impacted by Superstorm Sandy, according to the New Jersey Comprehensive Damage Assessment, and an applicants’ submission of assessment regarding Superstorm Sandy.

The one-time supplemental grants were awarded to the following organizations:

• Shore Region Tourism Council - $25,000
• Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce - $25,000
• Southern Shore Region Tourism Council - $25,000

Each grant application is reviewed by an independent panel with granting, marketing, and/or tourism experience. Applicants must demonstrate quality work, a clear demonstration of how their project will contribute to New Jersey’s tourism industry, and how their project fits within the Division of Travel and Tourism’s priorities.