Atlantic City Revamps Tourism Marketing Plan to “Visit Atlantic City”

Marketing is essential for any business, particularly a city that relies on tourism to be successful. In New Jersey, Atlantic City is a prime destination for weekend travelers and vacationers to the East Coast. For years, the city has used “Meet AC” as its marketing campaign to bring visitors to the region to enjoy casino gaming, attend conferences, enjoy dining, shopping, and other entertainment. Now, that marketing campaign has changed.

The Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Bureau announced this week that its promotional sector will now be known as “Visit Atlantic City.” Officials say that the new tagline better reflects the goal of attracting leisure travelers and business meetings. The goal is to bring more people into the area with a fresh approach.

As Atlantic City continues to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, continual traffic is still needed. Tourism numbers need to increase and remain at high levels for the destination town to thrive. NJ casinos are doing well and are a driving force behind tourism, especially in Atlantic City. Visitors come to enjoy casino games along with entertainment, dining, hotels, and more.

With “Visit Atlantic City,” tourism officials hope businesses will turn to the city to host meetings and events. The area is home to the largest convention centers on the East Coast, and attendees of meetings or conventions can also enjoy casino resorts, entertainment, beaches, and the boardwalk.

In mid-2014, the “Meet AC” non-profit was created. The group was backed by the casino resorts of Atlantic City and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority. The Authority receives funding via taxes and must use the cash to provide economic and community development in the city.

Each casino was responsible for providing 1.25% of its land-based gaming revenues to the Authority. Now, the “Meet AC” idea is no more, and the focus will be on the newly launched “Visit Atlantic City.” The site for the group has been updated and includes a ton of planning resources that individuals or companies can use for trips or events.

Last year, the “Meet AC” group helped the casinos in Atlantic City see great success. The economic impact of the group was over $300 million in 2022. Every $1 invested resulted in $34 in the Atlantic City economy. More than 200 events were hosted last year, resulting in over 260,000 guest rooms staying in the city.

Room numbers doubled based on room nights in Atlantic City, and this was a huge turnaround considering the past few years amidst the pandemic. In-person events are crucial to Atlantic City, and last year was the first time in a couple of years that people traveled in larger numbers.

Atlantic City still has a way to go before it reaches pre-pandemic numbers. The virus and other sicknesses like the flu have made people more conscientious about traveling. People tend to shy away from travel if the virus is on an uptick. However, tourism officials in Atlantic City feel that numbers are on the up and up, and a continued increase will be seen in travel for 2023.

The new Visit Atlantic City website is up, and it seems to have the capability to appeal to travelers. The site offers a nice opening with a video showcasing the boardwalk and other areas of the city. Visitors can find convention center details, events, venue space, and more.

It will be interesting to see if this new effort will result in more hotel stays within the casino properties of the boardwalk and casino spending.