FORT EDWARD -- Come for the farms, stay for the restaurants.
For the past 10 months, officials in Washington County have made a concerted effort to promote eateries, agribusiness and attractions with the hope of increasing sales tax revenue.
The changes to the way the officials view tourism came into focus earlier this month when the Board of Supervisors voted to dump the Washington County Tourism Association, the long-time tourism agency for the county. In its place, supervisors approved the hiring of Cambridge resident Christine Hoffer to coordinate promotional efforts.
But while she'll receive the same amount of funding the tourism association did - about $30,000 in I Love NY money - the overall structure of the office is becoming far more centralized.
Under a plan proposed at a recent Agriculture, Tourism and Planning Committee meeting, the Board of Supervisors would have direct oversight when it comes to tourism promotion through Hoffer and a five-member Tourism Advisory Council.
That panel would be composed of a town supervisor, a business owner not affiliated with the tourism industry, a representative of Cornell Cooperative Extension, Washington County Local Development Corp. Executive Director Tori Riley and an official from the Washington County Fair.
The council would be responsible for boosting various aspects of the county: agriculture, arts, museums, lodging and outdoor recreation.
"I think they're realizing tourism can play an important role in the economic front of Washington County," Hoffer said. "The only way people are going know about it is if they come. A vibrant main street is going to benefit not only the tourist but you and I, who live here."
Hoffer is currently developing a new logo and Web site for tourism promotions that she said would use social networking tools like Facebook, Twitter and a blog.
Despite the ongoing recession, Hoffer said people will still travel to Washington County.
"Our primary market is probably within a two-hour radius of Washington County," she said "Currently, the No. 1 traveler is visiting friends and relatives. One of the biggest goals is educating the people that live here are the ones who live here and why they should stay here."
One way of measuring the success of the effort is to see how much money the county will raise from its recently approved tax on hotel and motel visits, said Washington County Planning Director Chris DeBolt.
The so-called bed tax is expected to garner $30,000 a year for the county. "The bed tax will give us a metric so we can see how many room nights are being put in around the county," DeBolt said.
But for other programs, such as the popular countywide cheese tour, measuring popularity might be difficult, he said.
"We're looking at direct surveys for the type of thing," he said. "I think the farmers would understand the need to collect accurate data."
Washington County Cornell Cooperative Extension Executive Director Brian Gilchrist said the agribusiness might not show an immediate return when it comes to money.
But it's important to have people know about Washington County, Gilchrist said.
"Sometimes, I think it's just beneficial for people to know Washington County is on the map," he said. "Maybe they came and didn't spend a lot of money but they came from Long Island or Boston. It may not just be dollars and sense but you have to look at all the dimensions."
Posted in Local on Saturday, October 24, 2009 10:40 pm | Tags: Washington County, Tourism
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