ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. _ Atlantic City is planning a series of events to attract *** tourists, who are becoming an increasingly important part of the resort’s growth strategy.

Mayor Don Guardian and tourism officials said Monday the goal is to reinvigorate a once-thriving *** community in Atlantic City.

“Atlantic City had its heyday with the *** population on New York Avenue,” he said. “This is where you came when you wanted to have a good time. Straight people came to these places, too, because they wanted to party and dance in the hottest clubs.”

But when casino ******** began in 1978, soaring land prices pushed out many small ***-owned and ***-friendly businesses.

Now, with the resort struggling to find a new identity and new sources of revenue, the city is once again wooing *** tourists with vigour.

Growing up ***, Guardian said the sight of a rainbow flag was a welcome sign that one’s business was welcome and that it was a safe place to go if the person felt threatened by a situation.

Guardian said he hopes the thousands of ***, *******, ******** and transgender visitors who come to Atlantic City will come away impressed this summer, and consider the resort as a place to buy a second home.

Events aimed at the *** community include Sand *****, a 3-day beach party weekend in July targeted to the *** community; the StandOUT Expo, a networking event in September for the LGBT community, and the Miss’d America Pageant, a drag spoof of the famous pageant, also in September. Sand ***** will include a female beach volleyball tournament called “Lez Volley,” an underwear party, and a “Drag Race” and purse-tossing competition.

The mayor also dedicated a ***-friendly beach in Atlantic City at Park Place near Bally’s, but says the entire city is ***-friendly.

The resort is trying to broaden its appeal beyond a ******** mecca by emphasizing restaurants, shops, nightclubs, spas and other attractions.

The Atlantic City Alliance, which markets the resort, recently commissioned a study of the *** travel market in New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.

It found that the primary reason **** visit Atlantic City is because it is easy to get to and has entertainment options. Only 21 per cent named ******** as a primary reason to visit.

About 15 per cent said they planned to spend $500 or more on ********, with two thirds placing a $200 limit on their bets.

The survey also found that Atlantic City is not viewed as being especially ***-friendly, with only a quarter of respondents finding the destination somewhat or very LGBT-friendly. Among the eight Mid-Atlantic tourism destinations tested, Atlantic City scored lowest for a perception of being LGBT-friendly.

Brad Hurtado, executive producer of Sand *****, said events like his are needed to make **** feel more at home in Atlantic City.

“*** tourism and *** events transform communities, and they bring repeat visitors each year,” he said.