The Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority (GWTIDA) has officially been recognized as a leader in New Jersey’s $44 billion tourism industry, taking home the 2025 New Jersey Tourism Excellence Award for Marketing.
The honor, awarded by the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association (NJTIA), celebrates the Wildwoods’ highly successful “Welcome to the Wildwoods” campaign. The award was presented on December 10 at the Annual New Jersey Conference on Tourism held at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City.
The 2025 campaign was anchored by the destination’s most recognizable asset: the iconic “Wildwoods” beach sign. By weaving together diverse, story-driven creative content, the initiative successfully broadened the island’s appeal to multi-generational travelers while emphasizing inclusivity.
The marketing push achieved record-breaking digital engagement, including:
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50 Million+ total impressions across all platforms.
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7 Million video completions, showing high audience retention.
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28% Increase in website users on WildwoodsNJ.com.
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292,000 direct website clicks.
“Our campaign celebrated the variety of experiences the Wildwoods offers, emphasizing that there’s something for every age, every interest, and every kind of traveler,” Ben Rose, GWTIDA Marketing & Public Relations director said. “By showcasing this diversity… we reinforced the brand promise that we want to welcome everyone.”
The NJTIA Excellence Awards are among the most prestigious honors in the state’s hospitality sector. Entries are not judged by industry peers, but by a panel of university marketing professors from across New Jersey to ensure an objective, academic evaluation of strategy and ROI.
The awards recognize excellence in four specific categories:
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Innovation
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Marketing (2025 Winner: GWTIDA)
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Partnerships
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Public Relations
This win follows a historic 2024 season where the Wildwoods set an all-time record for tourism revenue. GWTIDA, which serves as the umbrella marketing and management organization for Wildwood, North Wildwood, and Wildwood Crest, has consistently utilized a mix of traditional and cutting-edge digital strategies to maintain the island’s status as a premier East Coast destination.
