Jersey Shore Business Journal

May 28, 2008

Where do you go with one tank of gas? Ocean City, of course

Brilliant sunshine, cool seashore breezes, flags, fun, lots of people; did we have a spectacular Memorial Day weekend or what?
The weekend was anything and everything: a barbeque, a walk on the Boardwalk, a day at the beach, a dip in the ocean, a bike ride, a spin on the Merry-Go-Round, salt water taffy, a slice of pizza and a salute to veterans. The weekend was heaven, good old fashioned fun and friendship at the seashore, simple family traditions, generations spending time together, relaxing, and most importantly, memories.
Is it any wonder that Ocean City, the top “Readers Choice,” was featured on the front page, top of the fold of the Philadelphia Inquirer in Sunday’s Travel section as the number one, “one tank away” travel destination, where readers like to “get away without going too far” from Billy Penn?
How cool is that? The most important thing about this competition is the method of submission. Readers were asked to respond with a comment 25 words or less. It was no ordinary point and click. Information came from the reader’s heart; they had to make an effort to express how much Ocean City’s wholesome family atmosphere meant to them.
The honor, coming from the bull’s eye of our tourism market, was heralded far and wide by the Inquirer just in time for the start of the busy tourism season.
“This is wonderful, I can’t say enough about what this says about our reputation, and the longevity of our reputation,” said Michele Gillian, executive director of the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce. “We should all be very proud, we have invested a lot in our image as America’s Greatest Family Resort and we are thrilled. Ocean City is a tradition, and we have very, very loyal families and friends that come year after year for our beach and bay, our Boardwalk and special events and quite simply, our atmosphere. We have invested a lot in our reputation, and this shows that our investment continues to pay off.
“Each shore community has their own identity, their own brand,” she added. “America’s Greatest Family Resort stands out, it’s unique. We’re all about families and we want all of our visitors to feel as attached to Ocean City as the Inquirer readers. We want them to drive over that new bridge, and say, I’m home.”
This designation means more than almost any other award Ocean City has ever received. You can’t buy good publicity like this, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
The week began with a little tourism dust-up concerning the Garden State’s inaugural Top 10 Beaches contest. Sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium, a coalition of environmental and tourism groups, the online survey asked 15,000 participants to rate beach towns along the state’s 127-mile coastline on the basis of several characteristics, including water quality, access and aesthetics.
Awards were also presented for events and tourism, family vacations and ecotourism. Hyped all week by statewide media markets, the awards ceremony was held in Sandy Hook on Thursday.
Ocean City - selected by the Travel Channel as one of the “Best Family Beaches in America” and honored by U.S.A. Today as one of the “15 most unforgettable vacations” in 2007 and more recently rated number four in the nation for Boardwalks by Fine Living Magazine and one of the 13 “top destinations” by Frommer’s Travel Guide - finished a disappointing third.
Wildwood, where seashore enthusiasts enjoy the state’s widest beaches – a half-mile at some points – without purchasing a beach tag took the top spot, followed by Wildwood Crest. North Wildwood came in fourth, followed by Cape May, Asbury Park, Avalon, Point Pleasant Beach, Beach Haven and Stone Harbor.
America’s Greatest Family Resort, the town spotlighted by Yahoo Travel Guide on its “movers and shakers” list was rated below Wildwood and Wildwood Crest? C’mon!
Let’s get this straight, “Doo Wop” Wildwood was voted the best overall beach, and garnered honors for events and tourism? Wildwood Crest was named tops for family vacations?
I did some research online and found some interesting information. Ocean City may have lost to Wildwood in this highly publicized contest, but it’s winning everywhere else. A recent Philly.com survey listed Ocean City number one among Philadelphia Inquirer readers with a whopping 646 votes. Avalon finished second with 414. North Wildwood was third with 307, Wildwood Crest 240, while so-called “Top Beach” Wildwood garnered a mere 213 votes.
A 90-second online video accompanied the survey. “Down the Shore” featuring two chicks named Gabby and Catherine featured Ocean City’s beach and Boardwalk.
“There’s so much to do here,” says Catherine, adding that for a “kid or kid at heart,” Ocean City is great for building sand castles or relaxing on the beach.
“Ocean City is a dry town,” Gabby advises. “So if you’re looking for a drink, Ocean City is not the place for you. If the singles scene or the party scene appeals to you, check out some other place. It’s okay, ‘cause it’s what makes Ocean City great for families. If you really need a beer, you just go over the bridge to Sea Isle, Somers Point or Atlantic City.”
Gabby and Catherine hinted that they might do just that, “later,” but for the time being, Ocean City was a great place to hang out.
The Philadelphia Inquirer, highlighting the mother of all big winners, arrived in my driveway on Saturday morning. That “one tank” away is Ocean City’s moniker this year – and for purposes of this contest, it extended 300 miles into Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, the heart of our target market- 30 million people.
Philadelphia Inquirer readers picked Ocean City and nine other very unique vacation destinations, including St. Michaels, Knoebels Amusement Resort, Ocean City, MD, Lancaster, Newport, RI, Washington D.C., Hyde Park, NY, Annapolis MD and Pennsylvania Grand Canyon.
“This is wonderful, this means that we are in good standing with the Philadelphia market,” said Gillian. “The other nine destinations were, like Ocean City, unique. This was a very reflective survey. It showed what people really feel. It shows that our message needs to be plain and simple. People are looking for endless summer days and memories to bring back to Philadelphia.
“The Philadelphia Inquirer is read nationwide,” she said. “We can’t buy publicity like this. We work very hard to attract and make people feel welcome and at home in Ocean City.”
Elaine Lamping, of Philadelphia, submitted the entry the Inquirer chose to highlight with a huge top-of-the fold front page picture of Ocean City’s Boardwalk.
“Colorful beach umbrellas. Dolphins. Long walks together. Boardwalk. Music Pier. Family & friends. The week that could go on forever.”
Lamping was one of many submitting similar responses. Think about this, “the week that could go on forever.” Like many, Lamping has but one week in Ocean City. Those of us lucky enough to live here have summer every day for the better part of almost four months, not to mention the rest of the year when we enjoy a very nice quality of life. Could anything be better than living by the ocean?
On Friday, I watched Mayor Sal Perillo and a contingent of present and former Ocean City Beach Patrol officials “unlock” the ocean.
In a “take that” to boasting Wildwood – in overdrive bragging about their “Best Beach” award and their overabundance of sand - Perillo highlighted that Ocean City would soon have “the safest and the largest public beaches in the state” once $7.5 million worth of sand was pumped in.
With a huge wooden key in the sand, they officially opened the beaches for the 2008 summer season. It was wacky and wild, a big parade to Pomp and Circumstance followed, with a host of costumed merchants marching right into the ocean.
There was an old-fashioned Santa, a pug dog, giant salt water taffy and Shelly the Mermaid. Local Realtor John Walton led the parade carrying a giant American flag. City publicist Mark Soifer, wearing a hard hat, joined the fun. What would we do without Soifer’s creative genius?
It was typical Ocean City silliness. Would a host of television cameras and newspaper reporters be tripping over each other trying to capture the little costumed pug swimming through the ocean if the parade wasn’t so darn crazy?
Memorial Day is a big adjustment for locals and this year was no different. You could feel the beat pick up on Friday. Saturday morning I hit the Boardwalk to find thousands of people had arrived over night, like someone flipped a switch.
My friend Diane Reese pulled up next to me on her bike. She had her camera, and had been out shooting pictures, from the sunrise to the sand pumping on North Street. She was utterly joyful.
We talked about how wonderful it was to see the town come to life. We made plans to meet on St. Charles Place and enjoy a few hours of sunshine and camaraderie.
We greeted old friends, the people you see year after year. We ate a delicious lunch at Brown’s, a grilled chicken wrap for me and a cheeseburger for Diane. When the wind shifted, we put on our sweatshirts, cuddled up in towels and continued the conversation. We reminisced.
Gillian participated in a Jersey Shore “best beach” debate on the Big Talker 1210, a Philadelphia radio station on Friday afternoon. Appearing at the rest stop on the Expressway with a host of municipal competitors from Cape May to Atlantic City, Gillian held her own without getting dirty.
“No one came out a winner, we each put forth our attributes,” she said. While most dished about the bars and the nightlife, Gillian focused on the basics, the beach, the Boardwalk, popcorn, pizza, families.
Wildwood officials, with an abundance of both nightlife and bars and ample beaches, slashed and burned communities like Ocean City and Avalon, in dire need of sand.
We have sand pumping 24-7, we’ll be fine. In a few weeks, when summer really heats up, we’ll be sitting on a veritable gold mine. We’ll grab our chairs and our children and spend lazy afternoons, basking in salt water and sunshine.
We have the best beaches in the world. Are we lucky or what?


Ann Richardson can be e-mailed at annrichardson@catamaranmedia.com or you can comment on this story by calling 624-8900, ext. 250.