There was good news for the second year in a row at the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Toast to Tourism Awards, held Tuesday morning at The Boathouse overlooking Mercer Lake in Mercer County Park.

Brian Tyrrell, Stockton University professor and CEO of Travel and Tourism Research and Training Associates, said during a presentation of his 2016 Economic Impact Study of Tourism in the Princeton and Mercer Region that activity in the area continues to be on the rise.

“This report provides strong evidence that the Princeton Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau’s efforts are paying generous dividends to the stakeholders throughout the Princeton-Mercer Region,” the commissioned report concludes. “The Bureau has been successful in growing a strong summer and fall travel market for the hotel industry in the Princeton-Mercer Region, recovering nicely from the recession. The Princeton Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce should be unabashedly proud of their effort, and leaders in the community should take note that the promotion of the Princeton-Mercer Region works.”

The 35-page report examined lodging, food and beverage, retail, entertainment, and transportation in Mercer County and portions of Middlesex and Somerset counties as well. These areas accounted for a significant portion of tourism expenditures in New Jersey, Mr. Tyrrell said. As stated in his report, “In generating tourism expenditures of $2.1 billion in 2015, the Princeton-Mercer region has achieved a new high in tourism receipts for the region and is showing similar growth to both the United States and the New Jersey industry performance averages.”

The many facts and figures in the report include the number of people С 37,000 С employed in the region’s hotels, restaurants, and other attractions that support the industry. The three award-winners at the breakfast were Lori Rabon, vice president of The Nassau Inn, Princeton Merchants Association, and Palmer Square Management; Jasmine Gates, front desk lead of Springhill Suites by Marriott; and Delroy Williams, food and beverage director for The Nassau Club of Princeton.

Ms. Rabon, who has been with The Nassau Inn for more than 30 years, was presented the Salute to Service Award. Ms. Gates, who worked at the Trenton Marriott Downtown for seven years before joining Springhill Suites in Ewing Township, was given the Praise for Performance Award. Mr. Williams, who came to the United States from his native Jamaica in 2006 and has been with The Nassau Club since 2011, was also honored with the Praise for Performance Award.

Art All Night Trenton was recognized with the Tribute to Tourism Award for its growth over the past decade from a relatively small, 24-hour free exhibit open to all to a major annual art show featuring lectures, music, food, a film festival, and other activities. According to Tom Gilmour, director of the Trenton Downtown Association, the most recent Art All Night attracted some 30,000 visitors, as compared with the 1,700 who showed up for the first event.

Accepting the award, Joseph Kuzemka, Art All Night’s creative director, said that when the idea for a 24-hour, free art exhibit in the old Roebling Wireworks was proposed to him in 2006, he never thought it would work. Looking back, “As much as it is about tourism, it’s also about community,” he said. “Art All Night changed the way things happen in the city. We’re more than a negative headline.” The event is about “inspiring people in the city to create and people outside the city to come in and create with us.”