Jersey shore economy

wpvi

By 6abc

Monday, July 20, 2009

OCEAN CITY, N.J. – July 20, 2009 Visitors are still coming but it's when they're coming and how they're spending that's been changing.

If there are two words that best describe the seashore season so far they just might be "last minute".

Jane Petrovitch has managed Coral Sands Motel for eight years. The rainy June and poor economy are definitely having an effect this year.

The beaches and boardwalks are filled with summer visitors but are they spending? Or are they holding onto their dollars and shortening their stays?

Kelly Surotchak is continuing a 46-year family tradition of coming to Ocean City but she says she's cutting back by not eating out as much and doing more meals at home.

After a horribly rainy June the weather has been good since the July 4th weekend and business people are trying to be optimistic for the second half of the summer.

Michelle Gillian of the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce says the city has had a lot of daytrippers but she says the best thing is to have people come and stay.