After New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie shut down the state
government on Friday night following a budget standoff, the state's tourism
industry bemoaned a loss of business.
The shutdown closed state parks during the pre-Fourth of
July weekend.
The New Jersey government shutdown meant that some 25,000 to
30,000 visitors to the Statue of Liberty were either turned away or
inconvenienced, according to Michael Burke, COO of Statue Cruises. Statue
Cruises offers sailings to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island from both
Liberty State Park, a state park located in New Jersey, and from Battery Park
in Lower Manhattan.
Statue Cruises said ferry ticket holders scheduled to depart
from New Jersey would be honored at its Battery Park location or tickets could
be exchanged for a later date.
Nevertheless, Burke said that Statue Cruises stood to lose
$850,000 in revenue due to the closure, and that that number could go up into
the millions should the shutdown continue longer into the month of July.
"We urge the New Jersey state legislature and the
governor to resolve New Jersey's budget crisis immediately," Burke said.