Atlantic City Alliance responds to casino closings with ad highlighting other attractions

Atlantic City's marketing arm is responding to a wave of casino closings with a new ad highlighting the many other things there are to do in the seaside resort.

The Atlantic City Alliance will run full-page ads starting Thursday in the Wall Street Journal, the Star-Ledger of Newark and the Philadelphia Inquirer touting the many things Atlantic City offers that don't involve gambling.

The ad features a photo shot from the stage of the recent free Lady Antebellum concert on the beach, with a large crowd spreading far and wide.

The ad mentions the beach, shopping, dining, big-name entertainment and other attractions.

"Atlantic City isn't just a destination for gaming," it reads. "No wonder our beaches, Boardwalk and hotels have been full of people doing AC all summer."

The Alliance said summer hotel occupancies have exceeded 95 percent this year.

The action comes two days after Revel Casino Hotel announced it will shut down on Sept. 10, one of four Atlantic City casinos to close this year.

The Showboat will close on Aug. 31, and Trump Plaza will follow on Sept. 16. The Atlantic Club closed in January.

The Atlantic City Alliance promotes the resort to tourism markets in the northeast and elsewhere, using money that casinos once were required to send to the state's horse racing tracks in return for keeping slot machines out of the tracks. Gov. Chris Christie ended the practice several years ago.