NewHavenBIZ

38 n e w h a v e n B I Z | M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 9 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m F O C U S : To u r i s m Tagliatela says Connecticut needs to do much more to promote tourism. For every dollar spent, the state gets a significant return through tax revenue, he says. "We are getting beat every day by our neighboring states because they understand the importance of tourism marketing," Tagliatela says. In contrast to the $4 million Connecticut spent last year, neighboring states are spending considerably more for tourism marketing. In 2018, New York spent $70 million and Massachu- setts spent $10 million, according to a 2018 Office of Tourism Mar- keting Review. Even tiny Rhode Island spent $5.5 million. e only state in the Northeast to spend less than Connecticut was Vermont, at $3.1 million. "New Haven is a fabulous place to visit, with a lot to offer, including arts, culture, history, Long Island Sound and beaches," Tagliatela says. e New Haven area has plenty of attractions for tourists — such as the Peabody, Long Wharf e- atre and the Shubert, the Knights of Columbus Museum, Hammon- asset Beach State Park, Lighthouse Point Park, Sleeping Giant State Park, imble Island boat tours, Yale University, museums and gal- leries, vineyards and breweries. "e message we have to get out there is that the New Haven area punches above its weight in terms of art and theater," Skelly says. "ere is a lot going on here to at- tract visitors, and people who visit for one time are blown away. It is a wonderful place, and when we can get people to come here, they will come back." Aresimowicz says the New Haven area and shoreline have so much to offer that he believes the area should be marketed as a cruise-ship destination. He plans to reach out to port officials to see if that is feasible. "I am not opposed to having a couple of cruise ship ports in Connecticut," Aresimowicz says. "ere are a lot of things to draw people here." Cruise ship travelers might enjoy spending a day walking around Yale University, visiting museums, eating at local restaurants, and taking day trips — such as to the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat, Aresimowicz says. A more welcoming place e Blue Ribbon Panel made several recommendations to the legislature's Commerce Commit- tee on how to improve the state's tourism industry. Opening and staffing welcome centers and easing restrictions on highway signage directing motor- ists to attractions is key, the panel concluded. e state Department of Transportation operates the state's rest areas, and DOT personnel cur- rently staff the buildings for a single daily 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. shi due to a dearth of funding. According to the Office of Tourism, its staffing of welcome centers was eliminated in 2016 due to budget cuts. "With the welcome centers closed, it is the opposite of a wel- come," Skelly says. "It tells people to keep going. It is very clear we need to get in the game." Aresimowicz calls it "counterin- tuitive" to have a welcome center that is closed. He plans to push to allocate funds so they will be open. Randy Fiveash, director of the DECD's Office of Tourism, wants to open and staff all welcome cen- ters immediately. "We never wanted them to close," Fiveash said. "We believe there is a serious need for welcome centers to be open. ey service the traveler. If we can tell them about everything going on [in Connecticut], we can help extend their stay." e panel also noted that statewide marketing alone isn't effective, and it recommended five regional destination marketing organizations, including one for greater New Haven. Ginny Kozlowski, executive director of Visit New Haven and CEO of the Economic Devel- opment Corp. of New Haven, says Visit New Haven serves as a regional marketing organization. It hosts a website (visitnewhaven. com) that spotlights things to do in the New Haven area, along with events, accommodations and dining suggestions for visitors. It also works to market the region through social media. While currently 10 percent of lodging tax revenue is used to fund tourism-related efforts, the Blue Ribbon Panel suggested increasing this to 25 percent. According to Kozlowski, given the amount raised by the hotel tax, a higher percentage should go toward the Office of Tourism so it can hire more staff and deploy meaningful marketing dollars. "It would be helpful for them to work with those [tourism-related] businesses on how to reach their target audience more effectively, and expand beyond what they believe is their target audience," Kozlowski says. "With the current level of funding and resources I think they are trying to do their best. We are not just competing with our neighboring states, but globally." Still Revolutionary? Finally, the panel suggested replacing the "Still Revolutionary" Continued from Page 35 Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History is a perennial favorite for both visitors and countless school groups. Downtown New Haven's arts and entertainment scene remains as vibrant today as when the Shubert Theatre (pictured) opened in 1914.

• Cover