After a third decrease in as many years Ocean City's 2019 tourism budget is down to $620K.
The Commission is funded by annual fees assessed to owners of vacation-rental properties, including short-term rentals by owners.
This year's cut in funding came about in part because of a change in NJ law that exempts some landlords from this fee.
Accordingly, the Tourism Development Commission has had to cut the duration of its TV ad campaign from 10 weeks to 8.
Officials are considering how to use digital media to close that advertising gap, and where to find new sources of funding.
Ocean City has a year-round population of about 11,000 people, which swells to as many as 130,000 when tourists and vacation-home owners arrive in summer.
