With spring in its step as it looks toward the busy summer tourism season, the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, in Galloway Township, will on March 19 host The Jersey Shorecast, its annual spotlight on the state’s beaches and boardwalks.

One of every nine New Jersey workers has a job in the state’s tourism industry, which had a total of 470,000 direct and indirect jobs last year, said Michael Busler, associate professor of business studies at Stockton, who will moderate the event. That accounts for 11.4 percent of the total employment in the state and about $16 billon in wages, he added, citing the secretary of state’s Web site.

The state’s tourism industry saw a dip in its fortunes beginning in late 2008, and the slowdown continued through 2009, Busler said. The industry’s recovery lags the rest

Tourism to the Jersey Shore fuels a large economic engine in the Garden State. (ThinkStock Photos)

The state’s shores and beaches were the original prime attractions for tourists, “and there has been an effort to enhance that beach experience” with Atlantic City’s casinos and boardwalks in many cities, Busler said. Wildwood, Ocean City, Asbury Park and Seaside Heights are among the cities with attractive beaches and boardwalks, he added.

Stockton’s William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy has lined up a panel of area businesspeople and its own faculty members. The featured panelists are to include Oliver Cooke, assistant professor of economics at Stockton; Israel Posner, executive director of the Stockton Institute for Gaming Management; and Diane Wieland, director for the Cape May County Department of Tourism.

“The purpose is to get some academic and industry leaders together to see what lies ahead,” Busler said. The event attracts between 50 and 75 business owners and other attendees each year, he added.

E-mail Shankar P. at shankar_p@njbiz.com