Millions of people tune to their televisions to watch their favorite shows whether it is a scripted drama, the history channel or a reality TV series. Whether reality TV is your guilty pleasure or not, it has an internal conflict on the positive and negative effects it brings to a surrounding area, the reputation of that area, local businesses and even youth viewers. 'Jersey Shore' is about eight cast members, originally from New York, coming to Seaside Heights, New Jersey for the summer months. The television series involves their lifestyles for the summer season, which include eating, drinking, bar fights, lots of drama and hook ups. 

After doing research about reality TV and tourism and how they relate to each other in both positive and negative ways, I ask this; Do you feel reality TV has a positive or negative impact on a location? Reality television shows are purely made for entertainment but when you analyze things further, a TV series like 'Jersey Shore' promotes the destination, therefore reality TV has more positive impacts. 

Reality television puts a destination on the map. My research topic primarily focuses on the positive effects reality TV brings as well as some negative effects. 'Jersey Shore' is the main show I concentrate on, even though others are mentioned, because I am originally from the area and know first hand the comments made about the show and how it effects residents. When you look at it from a positive viewpoint, a Reality TV show has a major impact on that location. There is an increase in revenue for businesses, hotels, merchandise, and beaches where the local economy benefits greatly. Many businesses had over twenty percent increases after the show was filmed and tourists flocked to Seaside Heights. That is the destination where the famous Jersey Shore cast like 'Snooki' and 'The Situation' first aired publicly in 2009. I feel it is a positive impact and the negative effects are outweighed on a destination because of the cause and effect it has. What I mean by that is, the show is the cause and many outcomes such as major boosts in tourism, revenue, and the increased benefits for the local community are the effects. People become curious to see where a show they watched is filmed and to actually view it with their own eyes. 

"Film-induced tourism has the potential to revitalize rural communities and increase tourism in urban centers" (Cactus Journal, Vol 2). Many areas have realized this and will promote a destination because of a certain film recorded there. For example, I went to Punta Cana for spring break this year and one of their most popular attractions is the snorkeling adventure in an area featured on Pirates of the Caribbean. If they didn't say Pirates of the Caribbean it could just be another area to snorkel around. The tourism committee promotes the film and how "Jack Sparrow was here" and that is how they make money.  Bob Considine, a writer for the Star-Ledger a local New Jersey newspaper, wrote an intelligent article about the effects on tourism and how much revenue was brought to the area. He interviewed a bystander that said "The main appeal for us coming here was just the show--- it was hilarious" (Considine, para 3). This quote is a perfect example of how reality TV and 'Jersey Shore' promoted the area throughout the series of the show for people to want to come visit and spend money to stay here. A recent research documented in the Cactus Tourism Journal, Volume 2 that films have a very strong influence on deciding where to go on vacation in the short- term and long-term prosperity of destinations (Cactus Tourism Journal, Vol 2). 

The negative effects of tourism based off reality TV are the perceived stereotypes made on locals, all residents of New Jersey, Italians and also the area itself. The negative effects weren't necessarily on the destination as much as it was coming from the cast that acted out in the show and the decisions they made. The downside to this are the people who make bias judgments as if all 'New Jerseyans' were drunken Guido's/Guidettes stumbling on the boardwalk getting into fights. With upsides, you cannot forget the downsides. Reality TV brings drama, fights, drinking/drugs and sex for entertainment. Not everyone agrees with the choices that were made on the show and those choices put a negative light on New Jersey because people that aren't from the area perceive what they want and have a preconception on the people and the location. Season Four of 'Jersey Shore' was filmed in Italy and the Italian mayor banned the crew from the country's cherished landmarks for the fear of the areas being devalued. 

One person in particular feels that New Jersey is in no way a representation of the TV series. Governor Chris Christie told an interviewer, "the show takes a bunch of New Yorkers, drops them at the Jersey Shore and tries to make America feel like this is New Jersey." Furthermore, after seeing the poll and how the statistics show that 'Jersey Shore' has nothing to do with the real New Jersey and the image exposed isn't hurting the state, which local's feared; Christie still isn't on board. "Honestly, I don't think the poll refutes the point that Snooki and company do not represent real New Jerseyans, the Jersey Shore, or New Jersey in any way, or that they are an embarrassment" (Christie). Gov. Chris Christie denied MTV $420,000 in film tax credit because he felt it should be better spent on "projects that actually benefit the state" and is "duty-bound to ensure that taxpayers are not footing a $420,000 bill for something that does nothing more than perpetuate misconceptions about the state and its citizens". 

Above were some of the negative words and effects towards reality television series 'Jersey Shore' but they aren't all true. A study by Fairleigh Dickinson University's Public Mind Poll, 1001 randomized adults nationwide were interviewed over the phone between January and February 2010 about the Jersey Shore reality TV series and the perceived perception of New Jersey. A political science professor from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Dan Cassino, said, "While we can't be sure that 'Jersey Shore' is making people like New Jersey more, it certainly doesn't seem to be hurting". (FDU PublicMind). The respondents from the poll proved that people who have seen the show have an optimistic view of New Jersey over those who haven't watched it. The results show, "Three of five (59%) of respondents who have seen the show have a favorable view of New Jersey, compared to just 44% of those who have not seen the show" (FDU PublicMind). These statistics prove that reality TV and the stupid decisions of cast mates being filmed for entertainment doesn't necessarily hurt the views of the location, Jersey Shore. A video recorded by Huffington Post spoke about "Snookiville Law". It is a law considered by NJ Legislatures to regulate fees and not get "snookered". It was directed for taxpaying locals to prevent them from having to pay for the mistakes of members of the cast. Residents don't want to pay for someone else's drunken mistakes where more police are needed. They mentioned that it just wasn't fair. (ABCNews.com). For every positive, there is a negative and I think depending on how you look at it, whether from a residents point of view, or a business point of view, reality TV helps the specific location it is filmed in. Take Michele, the author of "Don't Let MTV's "Jersey Shore" Stop You from Visiting the Jersey Shore" for example. She grew up going to the Jersey Shore and commented on the show, mentioning that what you see is not a portrayal of the area whatsoever and to not let it stop you from traveling there (Cheplic). Studies have showed, it hasn't stopped people from traveling but has actually brought more people to the beach location. 

Tourism is a massive industry that brought in almost $40 billion dollars to New Jersey in 2014. A major economic benefit for the local community that film-induced tourism can bring is the constant tourism revenue (Cactus Tourism Journal, Vol 2). Even though the show has ended, the tourists visiting haven't. The executive director of the Seaside Heights Business Improvement District, Maria Maruca said, "The market that the show reached and the kind of advertising and exposure it gave us, we could have never been able to afford that and all of the scenes that show Seaside Heights are really quite beautiful- the beaches, the amusement park, our fireworks shows" (Maruca, FoxNews.com). Maria also went on to say that there weren't negative shots of Seaside, the negatives on the show, which is a matter of opinion, was the cast and not the area (Maruca, FoxNews.com). The show, which first aired in 2009 and ran for five seasons, ended in 2012. "The cast and crew averaged 125 hotel room rentals per night, about 6,000 rooms throughout production, and consumed approximately 30,000 to 50,000 meals from local restaurants over the season (Vozza, entrepreneur.com). 'Jersey Shore' is responsible for a 20 percent increase in beach visitors and parking fees raking up $400,000 in estimated revenue. That doesn't include the money spent for all the nights in hotel rooms, food, alcohol and merchandise bought. Danny Merk the owner of "Shore Store" was interviewed by Huffington Post and said there wasn't any downside to having his business publicly displayed on TV. He mentioned that it has helped his store and the boardwalk big time. He occasionally had someone yell a rude remark or have spray paint on his door but the extreme revenue has improved the area like new fencing and fresh coats of paint everywhere. (Merk, Huffington Post). 

Another major impact the Jersey Shore reality television show had on New Jersey was when Hurricane Sandy hit in October of 2012. New Jersey and other states were hit with a huge storm that left thousands in devastation. The cast of the 'Jersey Shore' teamed up with a nonprofit organization Architecture for Humanity to help Restore the Shore. The fund aimed to collect donations that was geared towards helping restore Seaside Heights boardwalk and surrounding businesses, "the show's famed home base". Even though the cast members were getting negative comments from multiple people, they came together for their beloved second home to raise as much money as possible. The MTV's one-hour fundraising special raised well over $1,000,000 to refurbish homes and businesses damaged. 

 Not only is 'Jersey Shore' one of the shows that has promoted a location, many other films boost their local tourism in that designated destination. In the article, "How Film and Television Programs Can Promote Tourism and Increase the Competitiveness of Tourist Destinations," written by Claudia- Elena Tuclea and Puiu Nistoreanu, this article covers multiple aspects of how TV promotes tourism. A few aspects mentioned were, "One of the major economic benefits of film induced tourism is that it can bring higher revenues of the local community. Film locations can be all-year, all-weather attractions, which improves problems of seasonality in the tourism industry" (Cactus Tourism Journal, Vol 2). To further prove that point, News 12 New Jersey, a popular news station for New Jersey speaks out about the reality series. Alicia Vitarelli, news anchor, talks about how tourists are already making their way down the shore in the middle of winter "turning the ghost town of the winter boardwalk to a hot spring for local businesses" (Vitarelli). She mentions that over 200 visitors a day come to the Jersey Shore to witness the Italian flag painted garage, the famous house and also to pose for photos. A few people were interviewed and two women said they drove all the way here "and even got a room" so they could tour all the spots the show had filmed. Even in the offseason, businesses are earning revenue based off of the 'Jersey Shore' show that brings in tourists. Tourism and town officials spoke out about how they receive calls daily from California, Louisiana, Michigan etc. wondering about the show and where they can stay when they visit. In the conclusion of this article, they mention how there are consequences that are undesirable for locals that have to deal with filming in their area. 

From a local and business point of view, I support the positive effects a reality TV show brought to businesses and also how there is an interest in visiting New Jersey. I just need to get over people who complain that I'm from New Jersey since they've never visited, it now becomes a personal viewpoint. Once you visit, you'll realize it is nothing like the show and a beautiful place if you look at the destination aspects on TV rather than the cast members. New Jersey was positively affected by the TV series and it outweighs the negative effects that came with it. "We strongly believe that, thanks to the show, the name 'Seaside Heights' is on the tip of the tongue of every person around---be it a traveler or a local, a late-night talk show host or a celebrity" (Maruca, FoxNews.com). Even though many locals don't agree with the show, it has ended after five seasons but revenue continues to increase to this day. The show brought in millions of viewers. From 2009 to 2012, the number of viewers spiked from 1.38 million to 8.78 million. For the viewers that didn't see the show but made their own opinion, the show didn't negatively effect Seaside Heights, New Jersey. After Sandy devastated thousands, Jersey Shore cast mates were lending a helping hand as well as donations for local businesses and residents affected. That is another positive point of how they brought in money to help New Jersey whether it was for filming their crazy antics or raising money for a great cause, Restore the Shore. Prince Harry, Barrack Obama, and the Kardashians; they all visited New Jersey to see the devastation and to show everyone it is such an amazing place that needs rebuilding. I don't think they would visit this specific area if they hadn't been exposed as much as they were because of the MTV series. The show truly brings more positive impacts and New Jersey is thankful for the boom in business even to this day after the show has been over. Reality TV is only reality to a certain point and the rest becomes entertainment for the viewers. The cast members aren't as bad as the show makes them seem and the impact on Seaside Heights was major. The shore couldn't have gotten a better chance to shine, unlike five seasons of a show about eight New York born cast mates coming to an amazing place such as New Jersey. Love the show or hate it, the buzz of Seaside Heights was put on the map and brought in nearly three million dollars the first year of filming to the local economy. That number only went up when the show became one of the top five rated reality TV shows MTV produced. Some folks said the show brings back memories of when they were 20 again and it sparked the days when they were young. Those memories caused them to want to visit again and book rooms to stay at the Jersey Shore. Whether a resident or an outsider, everyone has their own opinion but for the sake of revenue and positive impacts, 'Jersey Shore' was extremely helpful to Seaside Heights and continues to improve the locations image and reputation. 

