By rssfeeds-admin The grants will pay for watch parties, festivals, street fairs, and fan zones from North to South Jersey. Three organizations received Regional, Multi-Day, Multi-Location Event grants for large-scale programs throughout the tournament. Thirty-one groups got Statewide Community Experience grants for smaller events.
“Hosting the World Cup is a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” Sherrill said at a press conference in Pennsauken, according to the New Jersey Monitor. “It’s going to bring revenue to our small businesses and local vendors who can see the economic impact.”
Visit South Jersey will receive $788,000 for Camden County programs. SoccerFest26 at the Camden waterfront will run from June 25-27. Maplewoodstock received funding. So did the Liberty Science Center and dozens of municipalities hosting watch parties.
A recent report by the American Hotel and Lodging Association found soft demand for rooms in host cities. About two-thirds of New York hotels polled said their bookings tracked regular summer demand. In Philadelphia, three-quarters said bookings lagged behind a typical summer.
“Many respondents describe the tournament as a ‘non-event’ in these cities, citing late FIFA room releases and weak international fan travel as the dominant concerns across markets,” the report says.
The findings come as lawmakers question tax surcharge proposals backed by Sherrill. The plans would add a 3% sales tax surcharge on purchases in the Meadowlands district, tack an additional 2.5% surcharge on some hotel rooms, and put a 50-cent charge on ride-hail trips in the area.
Sherrill defended the proposals Wednesday as a tourism fee. “We’ve actually heard a lot of positive remarks about that because it won’t be put on the back of New Jerseyans,” she said.
An internal Morning Consult poll cited in the hotel association report found 86% of state residents believed the proposals would undercut economic benefits. Sixty-four percent opposed it.
The state also plans to charge $150 for train tickets to matches and $80 for shuttle rides. NJ Transit expects to spend $48 million ferrying attendees to games this summer. Sherrill said the state is in talks with FIFA about sharing costs.
“FIFA anticipates they’ll make about $11 billion from this event, so I’ve suggested to them and we’ve been in talks with them that they should defray some of this cost,” she said.
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority developed and funded the grant program. Choose New Jersey administered the application process, with final determinations approved by the NJEDA.
The post New Jersey Distributes $5 Million in World Cup Grants as Hotel Bookings Fall Short of Expectations appeared first on WMTR AM.
Discover more from RSS Feeds Cloud
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.