Atlantic City tourism indicators released for first quarter of 2018

Tourism data for the first quarter of 2018 show seasonable lows for the resort’s economic performance but indicate an upswing for the coming quarter, according to a report released by Stockton University.

The Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism at Stockton released its latest Atlantic City Tourism Performance Indicators on Tuesday, a quarterly report describing nongaming revenue for the Atlantic City region.

The report uses year-over-year percentage changes in three performance measures as indicators of the tourism economy in Atlantic City: the Atlantic County lodging fee per 100 rooms, the Atlantic City casino parking fee per 100 spaces and Atlantic County noncasino revenue per available room.

“Performance in the first and slowest quarter of the year was relatively flat,” said Brian Tyrrell, professor of hospitality and tourism management studies at Stockton.

Over the past 12 months, revenue from Atlantic County lodging fees and casino parking fees showed slight increases. The parking fee per space figures increased 7 percent, and lodging fee revenue increased 3 percent, according to the report. This hints at more gains coming for the second quarter.

For the 12 months ending in March, the Atlantic County lodging fee averaged $688, or 2.8 percent higher than the 12 months ending in March 2017, according to the report. It showed a 9 percent decrease in January, followed by a 14 percent gain in February and an 8 percent increase in March, according to the report.

Parking fee collections at the casino parking garages were relatively flat for the most recent six months. There was a 7 percent drop in January, a 4 percent drop in February and a 1 percent drop in March, claims the report.

“Of the report’s three indicators, the casino parking fee per 100 spaces has shown the most consistent growth,” stated Rummy Pandit, executive director of the Levenson Institute. “This indicator will become even more meaningful as we begin to gauge the impact of the increased supply in Atlantic City.”