Every summer my family and I spend a
week in the Adirondacks. Every time we go I am impressed by how every business
and resident goes out of their way to treat visitors like gold. I guess we are gold
to them…a precious commodity because the entire economy within the Adirondacks is
based on some form of tourism. They do this because, of course, they love our
money but also because they truly love where they live.
Now, compare that to what takes place
in Niagara County.
I often get the sense that tourists
get the short shrift here from too many of our residents. Despite more than
three-quarters of billion dollars spent annually on tourism activities in the
county, some locals look at tourists with disdain -- they are using “our” parks
and roads or there are “too many” Canadian license plates at our malls.
That’s silly and self-defeating.
Every person living and working here should follow the lead of our fellow New
Yorkers and show exuberance not only for our visitors but also for the
incredible assets we have here.
Without them, our economy would
tank. 16,000 workers are employed in tourism and hospitality in Niagara County.
Maybe your neighbor is one of them. Maybe you are. Their/our livelihoods are
dependent on people visiting Niagara Falls, the Gorge, the Erie Canal, the Wine
Trail, and our world-class fisheries.
Our governments – and, in turn our
pocketbooks -- are also in need of tourism dollars. Niagara County tourism
generates more than $50 million in local sales tax, helping to reduce the tax
burden of local property owners by nearly $800 per household. I don’t know
about you, but I pay enough in property taxes (inarguably too much) and I
wouldn’t want to dish out another $800.
It’s up to every one of us to make
sure local tourism flourishes. When it does, so do we.
There are any number of ways that
Niagara County residents can further improve the Niagara brand. For the sake of
column space, here are three simple ways to start:
Spread the word:
Why do you live here? Why do you love it here? There has to be reasons; share
them with those visiting and those who could visit. As an example, when I court
potential clients they receive not only my company brochure but they also get a
visitor’s guide that I created encouraging them to enjoy Niagara County when
they pay me a visit. Similarly, it seems like every single business in Inlet
and Old Forge in the Adirondacks has a rack of tourism brochures in their
doorway. When is the last time you saw that in Niagara County outside of the
Falls? Those racks should be just as ubiquitous here.
Sell the area:
In the Adirondacks, a lot of cross-selling takes place. Retailers and
restaurants heavily use and re-market local products and services. That doesn’t
happen here. As an example, look at wines. It’s a rare Niagara County
restaurant that has a good selection of wines from our great wine trail. Most
don’t carry any and, if they do, it might be one or two wines. If they carried more
they’d support local farms and wineries…and themselves. They’d encourage
non-resident diners to visit the trail and, in turn, create repeat business for
that restaurant when the travelers return.
Treat everyone like a new and welcome visitor: In the Adirondacks service sector employees treat every
customer (tourists or locals alike) like it’s their first of many visits to the
establishment or the Park in general. In doing so there’s a palpable positive
energy that’s infectious and makes outsiders feel welcome and loved. Happy
people spend money! I don’t really see that here. A waitress in Lewiston might
treat someone like a Lewistonian, not knowing the person hails from across the
country. By doing so she fails to properly market the experience at her
restaurant and in her community. In a tourism mecca like this, you never know
who your customers might be. Consider one fine summer day in Olcott when I
counted six different languages being spoken. That’s who we want visiting us
again and again and being encouraged to do things – that’s economic development
at the grassroots level.
I could go on and on about this
subject, but I hope you get the gist. By living here, in a world-renowned area,
we all have a vested interest in the utilization of those resources and the
betterment of our economy. It’s time Niagara County residents realized we are
all in the tourism industry together.
From the 13 January 2020 Greater Niagara Newspapers and
Batavia Daily News
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