Business execs said "going to the beach" is their favorite summer pastime;
and their most appealing business conference destination is the Shore
Business leaders in New Jersey - presidents, CEOs and senior executives - love the Jersey Shore. That is clear according to the Baker Tilly - New Jersey Chamber of Commerce annual summer survey.
More than six in ten (64 percent) said they took overnight vacations at the Jersey Shore in the summer of 2015, and one in five (21 percent) said they spent extended vacations - two or more weeks overnight.
In fact, according to the survey, going to the beach was the business leaders' favorite summer pastime, and the race wasn't even close. More than a third of the business leaders chose the beach as their favorite summer activity. A distant second was golfing (17 percent), followed by gardening (13 percent).
For their summer survey, Baker Tilly and the N.J. Chamber suspended their traditional economy-related questions and addressed lighter, yet still compelling questions. A total of 146 New Jersey business leaders were surveyed between July 23, 2015 and Aug. 23, 2015. Most said they are presidents and CEOs, or senior level executives.
Even For Business Conferences, Executives Prefer the Beach
Even when asked to choose their ideal place for a business conference, the Jersey Shore was king - six in 10 New Jersey business leaders chose destinations that are at or near the beach. More than one in three (35 percent) said Atlantic City, while other respondents chose Monmouth/Ocean counties and Cape May/Wildwood.
"It's no surprise that New Jersey's business leaders love the Jersey Shore and want to take advantage of it as much as possible," said Tom Bracken, president and CEO of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. "This summer was especially good. Great weather and favorable gas prices kept the beaches and the restaurants hopping."
"This is important to New Jersey," said Bob Fodera, a partner at Baker Tilly. "The New Jersey tourism industry generated some $4.6 billion in state and local tax revenues in 2014, and directly supports 300,000 permanent and temporary jobs. Tourism is a critical component of the Jersey economy."
Restoring Atlantic City's Luster
When asked to choose ways for Atlantic City to restore its luster as an entertainment destination, nearly half (46 percent) of the business leaders said the city should help develop a theme park, and four in ten said Atlantic City entertainment venues should redouble their efforts to attract high profile musical acts in residence.
Top Musical Attractions
Business leaders were asked to choose among the major musical acts that played this summer in New Jersey that they would most like to see live in concert. One in five (20 percent) said they would most like to see The Who. Coming in second was Taylor Swift (16.4 percent), followed by the Dave Matthews Band (15.8 percent), Maroon 5 (15 percent) and Stevie Wonder (14.4 percent). Their favorite venue to see a live concert? The most popular answer was PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel (32 percent), while 27 percent chose the Prudential Center in Newark.
Best Athletic Achievement by a New Jerseyan
Last but not least, New Jersey business leaders were asked to choose their favorite athletic achievement by a New Jersey native in the summer of 2015. The favorite by a landslide (79 percent) was Carli Lloyd, of Delran, leading the U.S. Women's National Soccer team to the World Cup title by scoring three goals in the championship game.
A distant second with 12 percent of the votes was Mike Trout, of Millville, being named Most Valuable Player of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game; and coming in third with 9 percent of the votes was Todd Frazier, of Toms River, winning the Major League Baseball Home Run Derby.
Complete results can be found here.