TRENTON, N.J., Oct. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The explosive popularity of GPS technology is the latest symbol of America's love affair with the open road, and the New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism has combined this trend in auto travel with a multifaceted campaign inviting visitors to experience New Jersey's great destinations. The GPS-themed campaign uses media ranging from the classic roadside billboard to captivating radio spots to high-tech, interactive "Internet rich media."

This month, drivers in New Jersey and other states in the Northeast will see colorful GPS screens -- as billboards -- highlighting 14 of New Jersey's tourism gems. They'll also interact online with advertising that invites them into a virtual New Jersey, and they'll hear radio spots featuring "mini itineraries" enticing them to explore the Garden State. Destinations include not only the iconic Jersey Shore -- including romantic Cape May, the timeless Barnegat Lighthouse, Victorian Spring Lake and captivating Atlantic City -- but the mountain resorts of Sussex, the rich history of Morristown, and more pleasant surprises along the way.

Each billboard features vibrant, engaging images of the destinations, in conjunction with modern GPS mapping icons. The radio spots take on the same theme by simulating the voice heard when "you have arrived" at your destination of choice. The online portion of the campaign combines the vibrant pictures of specific destinations with content providing ideas of activities at the site.

"New Jersey has a long history of technological innovation, including one October day in 1879 when Thomas Edison invented a workable electric light in his Menlo Park laboratory," notes Nancy Byrne, executive director of The New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism. "So it's a natural fit that we're using America's latest, favorite technology, GPS navigation -- teamed with radio spots and the tried-and-true billboard -- to highlight some of our attractive options for a road trip itinerary. This campaign highlights the best of the old and new, from the quiet beauty of a fall Jersey Shore getaway to magnificent new mountain resorts framed in brilliant fall foliage, to show that New Jersey offers great destinations in any direction."

In addition to several locations in New Jersey, billboards will introduce the wonders of the state to drivers in Baltimore, MD; Boston, MA; Hartford, CT; Philadelphia, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, PA; Providence, RI; and Westchester, NY. Radio spots will hit those cities plus Albany, NY; Allentown, PA; Cincinnati and Cleveland, OH; Harrisburg, Lancaster and Reading, PA; Washington, DC; and Norfolk, Richmond and Roanoke, VA.

Other New Jersey destinations starring in the campaign include: -- Oceanport, home of the world-famous 2007 Breeders' Cup at Monmouth Park Racetrack -- Fort Lee and Englewood, featuring stirring live performances at the Bergen Performing Arts Center -- The family-friendly Camden waterfront with the Adventure Aquarium and the Battleship New Jersey -- The Pinelands, home of the cultivated blueberry and outdoor activities, including hiking, biking and kayaking -- Millville's Glasstown Arts District and the Wheaton Arts & Cultural Center -- Readington, for an exhilarating hot air balloon ride -- The Meadowlands, with bird watching and kayaking, and your favorite pro sports -- Jersey City, and the newly reinvented, hands-on Liberty Science Center -- Historic Lambertville, with inviting B&Bs, exquisite dining and charming boutiques -- Ringoes, for a sampling of the Garden State's award-winning wines -- New Brunswick, home of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights sports teams and fine-dining on par with our country's most cosmopolitan cities -- Princeton, for premier entertainment at the McCarter Theater, and apple-picking at Terhune Orchards -- Morristown, where history comes alive at Washington's Headquarters Museum and Jockey Hollow -- Wildwood, with its retro style and boardwalk music festivals -- Sussex, for a stay at a luxurious new resort in the rolling mountains of the New Jersey Skylands.

For more information on these destinations and assistance when planning a New Jersey vacation -- including additional itinerary ideas, finding accommodations and ordering brochures -- go to http://www.visitnj.org/.

Consumer Information: 1-800-VISIT-NJ http://www.visitnj.org/

CONTACT: David Biss, +1-973-871-1714, dbiss@brushfireinc.com, for New
Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism

Web site: http://www.visitnj.org/