Fewer think Boardwalk ruined

ATLANTIC CITY - First, the good news for this resort: Fewer people now erroneously believe the Boardwalk was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy.

The bad news? Twenty-five percent of respondents to an online survey still think it was.

Tourism officials fear the misconception is discouraging some visitors.

The Atlantic City Alliance, the new marketing arm of the casino resort, said the survey represents an improvement from a similar poll in November, in which 41 percent of respondents believed the entire Boardwalk was gone.

In reality, only a two-block portion of a section already slated for demolition in the Inlet neighborhood washed away in the storm. The main Boardwalk behind the nine oceanfront casinos came through unscathed.

Tourism officials are working hard to dispel the erroneous image, which circulated in some media reports during the storm.

"The new study indicates Atlantic City is making significant strides, where fewer people think the Boardwalk is destroyed and more think the casinos are fine and open compared to the last study," said Jeff Guaracino, a spokesman for the alliance. "The challenge is that still a quarter of the U.S. population believes the Boardwalk is destroyed, and in our key markets the number is higher."

The online survey involved 1,250 interviews from Jan. 4 to 7.

Atlantic City suffered minimal damage and reopened for business between five and seven days after the storm. But the 12 casinos say visitors from some key markets are still not coming back in pre-storm numbers.

The livelihoods of more than 40,000 employees in 12 casinos, plus hospitality industry workers at businesses catering to the tourism industry, all depend on a strong visitor base.