By Donald Wittkowski
Sea Isle City's wide, powdery beaches are proving to be more popular than ever with summer vacationers.
With Mother Nature lending a hand, beach tag sales are on a record pace so far this summer.
As of July 24, total beach tag revenue was $1.24 million, about $17,000 higher than the same period in 2015, which itself was a record year, city officials reported.
"So we're going good. We're still ahead of last year's record pace," Business Administrator George Savastano said.
Beach tag sales are a key indicator of the strength of summer tourism. This year, Sea Isle's replenished beaches and the predominantly sunny weather are helping to draw throngs of sunbathers.
"It's a sign that tourism is good and the weather isn't so bad," Savastano said. "Knock on wood. It's been an excellent year."
If the numbers continue to increase, Sea Isle will break the record of $1.43 million in total beach tag sales set in 2015.
"In general, beach badge sales indicate that people like our beaches and want to be here," city spokeswoman Katherine Custer said.
A $40 million beach replenishment project funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has added nearly 3 million cubic yards of new sand to Sea Isle's entire shoreline from First Street to 94th Street.
The formerly storm-battered beaches are much wider now, giving sunbathers a lot more room to spread out their blankets, chairs and umbrellas.
