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TRENTON, NJ – 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 Ó£»¨ÊÓƵ 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 Ó£»¨ÊÓƵ 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 Ó£»¨ÊÓƵ’s tourism industry, and how their project fits within the Division of Travel and Tourism’s priorities.