By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Tourists visiting the greater Princeton region last year whipped out their wallets to the tune of $2 billion in spending, a record-breaking number for a tourism industry that supports nearly 37,000 jobs in the area, a study released Tuesday found.
The dollars were spread across five sectors that included recreation and entertainment, shopping, transportation, food and beverage and traveler accommodation, the study for the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce showed. The region consists of all of Mercer County and parts of Somerset and Middlesex counties.
Brian J. Tyrrell, the consultant who did the report, said Tuesday that lodging expenditures increased by 13 percent, to $340 million, last year.
“Part of that was certainly the success of the lodging industry in general in the region,” he told business leaders at a Chamber breakfast at the Grounds for Sculpture. “But the year over year increases were really inflated this past year because the Crowne Plaza had gone through some significant renovations (and) had rooms off line in 2013 that came back on line in 2014.”
Overall, the spending number was up 5.2 percent overall compared to 2013, as tourism has risen each of the past five years and recovered from recession-level lows. One businessman in the tourism industry said afterward that he has seen improvement since those rough economic times.
“So when the recession was happening, we definitely saw a big hit in our business,” said Scott Sussman, marketing director at The Peacock Inn, the 16-room boutique hotel on Bayard Lane. “People didn’t want to travel in luxury style. They’d rather stay in more affordable options. But now that the economy is turning around, people really are looking to spend with their travel and where they’re staying and what they’re doing and what they’re eating and the length of their stays. Everything has really come up quite a bit since the recession.”
One businesswoman also in the hotel industry in attendance said afterward that she was pleased to see tourism spending grow.
“I’m thrilled as always that it continues to be on the rise, and I’m looking forward to (a) great 2015,” said Lori Rabon, general manager of the Nassau Inn, the hotel in Palmer Square.
Peter M. Crowley, president and CEO of the Chamber, said the Princeton region is a destination place in New Jersey, a “visitor-friendly state,” in his words. He said recreational and cultural attractions make the area a place people want to visit.
“If you don’t go to the shore, you come to the Princeton region,” he said. “It’s got everything — and it’s driveable.”
The Princeton region is a piece of tourism pie in New Jersey, where tourism is the third largest industry in the state. The report said that “New Jersey visitors drove more than $40 billion in tourism expenditures in 2014.” Mr. Tyrrell said that figure was a record-high.
In her remarks at the breakfast, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno said 2015 is looking even better.
“And if the anecdotal information we’re getting already is any indication,” she said, “we’re in line for double digit increases over last year for this year.”
