CAPE MAY COUNTY, NJ — Cape May County said it became New Jersey’s top leisure destination for the first time in 32 years after reporting a 4.2 percent increase in visitor spending over the previous year.
The county said total visitor spending reached $8.44 billion, with 12 million visitors supporting more than 42,000 jobs last year.
County tourism officials are now using that momentum to launch a multichannel campaign promoting FIFA and America’s 250th in Cape May County this summer. The campaign comes as the county targets travelers within a 300-mile radius, a market the Tourism Department said includes 30 million people in Greater Philadelphia, North and Central New Jersey, New York, the Baltimore to DC corridor, Northern Virginia and Connecticut.
"With a record-breaking $8.44 billion in visitor spending in 2025, Cape May County outperformed every other county in New Jersey for the first time in 32 years, making us the No. 1 leisure destination in the state,” said Cape May County Tourism Director Diane Wieland. “We led the state in food and beverage, retail and recreation, and our lodging sector reached $3.59 billion, a 6.9 percent increase over the previous year. Our business owners have proven yet again that their hard work and resilience can overcome even the most challenging of years."
The Tourism Department said it has spent recent years marketing the fall and winter seasons in an effort to build year-round visitation. According to the department’s visitor survey, more than half of visitors, 52 percent, reported coming to the county two or more times a year.
The county said its summer 2026 outlook is strong, helped by regional hub events expected to draw new visitors. As part of that effort, Cape May County is launching its America 250 campaign and inviting travelers to “Celebrate America’s 250th Down the Shore.” The county said its mix of historic and coastal attractions aligns with summer road trip demand, while economic travel trends favor affordable, flexible car travel.
Tourism officials said this year’s marketing plan will use a fully integrated, multichannel approach. According to the county, the campaign will include broadcast, digital, mobile, billboards, print, radio and public relations, with those channels layered to increase repeated exposure across major consumer touchpoints.
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