“Tremendous gains” in tourism recovery in 2021 from the pandemic was the news from the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association (NJTIA) on May 5 as statewide leaders gathered in Trenton for National Travel & Tourism Week.

The New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism released its “2021 Economic Impact of Tourism in New Jersey” study, saying visitor spending grew to $37.3 billion in 2021. That’s 27% up from 2020, but is still 17% below record-breaking levels of 2019, figures showed.