Sponsored by:
Assemblyman LOUIS D. GREENWALD
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Assemblyman RAJ MUKHERJI
District 33 (Hudson)
Assemblyman VINCENT MAZZEO
District 2 (Atlantic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblymen Armato, Verrelli and Assemblywoman Murphy
SYNOPSIS
Appropriates $25,000,000 from General Fund to Department of State for travel and tourism advertising and promotion for recovery from COVID-19 pandemic.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Supplement to the Fiscal Year 2021 appropriations act, P.L.2020, c.97.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. In addition to the amounts appropriated under P.L.2020, c.97, the annual appropriations act for Fiscal Year 2020-2021, there is appropriated the following sum for the purpose specified:
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74 Department of State 70 Government Direction, Management, and Control 74 General Government Services] DIRECT STATE SERVICES |
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02-2510 |
Business Action Center............................ |
$25,000,000 |
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Total Direct State Services Appropriation, General Government Services |
$25,000,000 |
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Direct State Services: |
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02 |
Travel and Tourism ........................... Advertising and Promotion.............. |
($25,000,000) |
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Of the sums herein appropriated for the Division of Travel and Tourism in the Department of State for travel and tourism advertising and promotional purposes, $5,000,000 is appropriated for Destination Marketing Organizations recognized by the State to market all regions of the State and work cooperatively with the State’s overall marketing campaign. The remaining funds shall be used to help the economic recovery of the travel and tourism industry from the damage caused by SARS-CoV-2. This includes promoting industries and destinations in New Jersey that have been most impacted by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, such as food and liquor establishments across the State. The division shall identify other such areas that have been impacted by the pandemic and allocate the resources provided by this act appropriately. This account shall be considered a special purpose appropriation for accounting and reporting purposes.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill makes a supplemental appropriation of $25 million from the General Fund to the Department of State to fund the advertising and promotion of New Jersey’s travel and tourism industry.
Travel and tourism is one of the largest employment sectors and highest revenue-generating industries in the State. A vibrant travel and tourism industry is vital to the overall economic well-being of New Jersey’s citizens. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, there exists a heightened sense of fear and hesitancy in people to travel and experience tourism destinations. This has caused tremendous disruption throughout New Jersey’s travel and tourism industry. 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 tourism destinations are open, operational, and safe. This includes allocating resources to Destination Marketing Organizations recognized by the State to market all regions of the State and work cooperatively with the State’s overall marketing campaign. This also includes promoting industries and destinations in New Jersey that have been most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as food and liquor establishments across the State. The division will identify other such areas that have been impacted by the pandemic and allocate the resources provided by this bill accordingly.
New Jersey is not the only state to experience this level of disruption in these industries. The “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021” recently enacted specifically cites the damage to the hospitality industry. The federal legislation requires that 25 percent of the monies appropriated to state, local, and tribal governments be directed to the hospitality industry. Tourism, as part of the hospitality industry, has been severely impacted and the appropriation to this industry is paramount for its survival.