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Today's Poll: Should New York spend more money to boost Upstate tourism?

By Howard B. Owens
George Richardson

Upstate New York is doing fine. Western New York needs an infusion of Buckola's.

Boost Batavia, it's good for you,
Boost Batavia, it's good for you,
Batavia deserves your consideration,
It's the finest dinky ass City in the Nation....
Boost Batavia, Boost Batavia.... it's good for Meeeeee!

I don't want y'all to just fade away. Grab Western New York by the balls and make Batavia a tourist destination. I tell everyone in Austin that they should take a vacation in Batavia and many are intrigued. We smoke a lot of pot, so many of my friends and I want to go down that Waterslide in the winter sometime. Do they have a bar in the Motel?

Mar 31, 2014, 2:32pm Permalink
C. M. Barons

Promoting tourism in WNY requires far more than a new brochure, a Facebook page or 30 second spot on radio or TV. Essentially there has to be something in WNY that demands a potential visitor’s attention, compelling them to make the trip. I’m not saying there is no draw here. I’m saying that the draw-backs outweigh the draw.

The draw-backs relate to points of interest being far-flung and uncoordinated. If I lived in Cleveland, Boston, NYC or Pennsylvania I wouldn’t travel to Batavia for a vacation with no idea what would occupy my family’s time or how I would get around.

Virtually all of Batavia’s lodging accommodations are business class. There is no comprehensive mass transportation system. There are no five star restaurants or hotels outside of Rochester and Buffalo. Everything is spread out over miles of unfamiliar road.

There is no theme or package to make the effort convenient or interesting. Any one or more themes could be developed: a sportsman’s package, a museum tour package, an Historic village package, a farmer’s market package, a gaming package- you name it. But right now it doesn’t exist in a format that might entice someone to visit.

Between the Erie Canal, the Arcade & Attica train ride, the Alexander Steam Show, the Medina Railroad Museum, the New York Transportation Museum and the Dinosaur BBQ located in the former Erie Depot- there’s an enticing package. …And Batavia sits in the middle, ready to lodge, feed and nighttime entertain transportation enthusiasts. Coordinate it with the annual Summer in the City Car Show and you’ve got a winner.

The Genesee County Fair and the Orleans Junior Fair are a week apart. In between are days that could be filled with visits to the Yoghurt plants, Perry’s Ice Cream, Sweden Farmer’s Museum, Genesee County Village, Elba Muck followed by a Muckdog game…

Virtually every village has a museum- why not a week-long tour of Historic Western New York. At night offer carriage rides, some of our highly regarded chicken BBQ and old-fashioned band concerts.

Orleans and Genesee Counties abound in fresh produce during the summer. A tour of Farm Markets and the 104 fruit and berry vendors could be followed with harvest table dinners located at various restaurants and event areas, night by night.

The point is that there is plenty to do in WNY. Making it worth the effort to come here requires coordination, communication and cooperation between multiple municipalities, businesses and promotional agencies. …And some imagination.

Mar 31, 2014, 6:25pm Permalink
kevin kretschmer

"There is no theme or package to make the effort convenient or interesting." I can tell you first-hand, you're wrong. The Genesee County Chamber Office does quite a bit of this. They work tirelessly promoting the area, including traveling to some of the largest markets in the East; NYC, Harrisburg, PA, & Toronto, CA. ACO gets leads from them after every single junket.

Mar 31, 2014, 7:25pm Permalink

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