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Tourism Means Business in the CommonwealthBy Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli
Guest Column
06:03PM / Monday, May 11, 2009
The Berkshire Visitors Bureau kicked off National Tourism Week a few days early this past Friday at the Discover the Berkshires Visitors Center in Adams.
Agency officials, joined by Clark Art Institute Director Michael Conforti, touted the benefits of the tourism to the local economy and how cultural tourism should be considered just as much a business as any other in the Berkshires.
Making that business sector successful will depend on promoting the Berkshires as destination region for recreational and cultural attractions.
"We have a lot of research that shows people are looking for value because of the economic times," said Laurie Klefos, president of the visitors bureau. "We don't want to promote the Berkshires as a cheap place but as an affordable place."
That means pumping up the volume on the area's value as compared — not to similar regions — but to places like New York City, said Klefos. Where else, she continued, can you find the New York Times No. 1 exhibit in the nation (Sol LeWitt at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) or James Taylor or the Clark? And all at affordable — or, as BVB Vice President Ray Smith has coined, Berkfordable — prices?
To promote the region and to encourage cultural and related businesses to promote each other, the visitors bureau is hosting a Tourism Tuesday at the Crowne Plaza in Pittsfield this week that will include a panel representing various parts of the industry and released three op-eds on the importance of the tourism business here. (The first, by Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli, is below; two more will run later this week.)
The bureau is also touting its five kiosks placed at various parts of the county that allow visitors to log on to the BVB Web site and make reservations at area motels and B&Bs. In June, the bureau will trek to Hartford, Conn., with models and representatives from the Norman Rockwell Museum to promote the area and a gathering at Jiminiy Peak Ski Resort will allow members of the industry to share what they're doing to attract visitors.
"We don't talk enough about the caliber we need to up the volume a little bit," said Klefos.
Tourism Means Business in the Commonwealth
By state Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli
According to the U.S. Travel Association, Massachusetts tops the list of New England states when assessing the economic impact of tourism. Spending, tax receipts, employment and earnings through 2007 have been on a steady incline for the past five years. A statistic that is even more impressive given these challenging economic times.
In the Berkshires, where I represent the 4th Berkshire District, the travel and tourism industry is the third largest sector of the economy.
The Berkshires welcomes about 2.5 million visitors annually who spend $319 million in the county for a total economic impact of $506.9 million.
This is significant amount of money for our county of approximately 130,000 residents.
Statewide during 2007, Massachusetts visitors spent $15.1 billion - four billion more than in 2003 - and that spending generated $2.3 billion in tax receipts. Furthermore, travel and tourism in the commonwealth yielded 127,800 jobs and $3.6 billion in earnings during that time.
In the Berkshires approximately 11,000 people have jobs that relate directly or indirectly to the travel and tourism sector, with those people earning $85.9 million annually.
We at the Statehouse are in the midst of challenging budget deliberations. On May 1, the House passed a $28 billion budget. Our version of the budget, which is now in the hands of the State Senate, was passed after serious debate among my fellow representatives about how best to spend money during these times of fiscal constraint.
As a member of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development and representative of a district that has over 100 cultural and performing arts destinations, impeccable shopping, and unique lodging and dining opportunities, I was disappointed when my House colleagues opted to reduce the allocation for a program which provides a public match for private funds raised by for the state's 13 Regional Tourist Councils. In the current version of the fiscal 2010 budget this fund is cut by $3 million. While I supported a measure filed by Rep. John Keenan to offer a compromise to reduce this cut by half, the budget for tourism promotion was not restored.
Regional Tourism Councils such as the Berkshire Visitors Bureau are an important extension of the State’s efforts to draw more visitors and their dollars to Massachusetts.
In the Berkshires we know visitors have come to trust the information they garner from the Bureau, because they spend significantly more money here as a result of having interacted with the Bureau’s staff or collateral materials. (Typically, 111 percent more.)
As we continue through this process, there is a realization that we will have to find ways to supplement this loss of state dollars. I know the businesses of Berkshire County will find new and better ways to collaborate with entities like the Visitors Bureau to ensure that we maintain our Berkshire brand in the marketplace.
State Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli is a member of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development. He represents the 18 communities of the 4th Berkshire District. |
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