City had record summer season

The city netted $4.3 million in beach pass revenue this year, and officials called it a record summer that attracted an average of about 25,000 visitors to the shore each weekend.

Throughout the summer, throngs of beach-goers lined the entrances to the beach to buy passes, and City Manager Jack Schnirman called it the city’s best season for tourism in years, citing agreeable weather, more than one heat wave and past marketing efforts.

“We’ve exceeded our expectations,” said Schnirman, adding that the city collected $3.7 million in beach pass revenue last year, the city’s first full summer with the new boardwalk. The city had expected to take in just $3.9 million for the 2015 summer season.

In the summer of 2013, after Hurricane Sandy, when the city took in $3.2 million, it launched a number of marketing initiatives, including a television commercial with Long Beach native Billy Crystal. The city was also included in an “I Love New York” commercial last year featuring musician Billy Joel and highlighting Long Island’s beaches, and the city was recently awarded a $300,000 grant to fund a year-round marketing campaign.

Other initiatives, such as the return of the Shoregasboard food truck court on Riverside Boulevard and the launch of Social Bikes on the boardwalk, and events such as the sunset celebrations and other beach concerts, helped the city generate more revenue and attract more visitors. Local civic groups contributed as well, Schnirman said, by holding a series of beach movie nights sponsored by the city that drew thousands of people.

“We didn’t really have a paid marketing campaign this summer,” Schnirman said. “I think the secret is out — we have a brand new, state-of-the-art boardwalk, a greater variety of food options and we have more things to do, so more people are coming down.”

The revenue total, Schnirman said, includes the city’s portion of sales by the Long Island Rail Road, which offered a package to riders that included a discounted one-day round-trip and beach admission. “We had more LIRR visitors than ever before,” Schnirman said. “It’s another healthy sign of the recovery. All of the businesses need that revenue in the summer season to help them get through the off-season.”