Linda_D
December 11th, 2007, 09:19 AM
from the Buffalo News (Rural Tourism (http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/226283.html))
Bruce Andriatch: Southtowns’ hidden asset: rural tourism
By Bruce Andriatch
Updated: 12/11/07 8:04 AM
Think of the communities of Brant, Eden, Evans and North Collins, and it’s likely that several words come to mind: Small. Rural. Agriculture.
Tourism probably isn’t near the top of the list. (It might not even be near the list).
But a report compiled by the University at Buffalo Regional Institute shows that if the southern portion of Erie County could take better advantage of its resources, it might make itself into a regional tourism destination.
"We’ve concluded that the Southtowns can tap into the growing trend in rural tourism, that that’s really what distinguishes them from the broader region’s tourism wealth," said Rachel Teaman who authored the "Tourism Toolkit" report. "It distinguishes them from Niagara Falls . . . and from the cultural assets that make Buffalo unique. The idea is that they can complement that."
The report grew out of the four towns’ collective curiosity about whether they had enough tourism potential to make it worth cultivating. It started in the mind of Lori Szewczyk, director of community development for the Town of Evans. Her town had been looking for a better way to take advantage of its tourism assets, but doing any kind of marketing was too costly to pursue.
"The surrounding communities that we already had a very good relationship with were in the same boat we were," she said. "So I thought, ‘Why don’t we get together and figure out what we might be able to do in applying for a grant that would help us attract tourists?’ "
From that dilemma, the Southtowns Community Enhancement Coalition, comprising four towns and three villages, was born.
Three years ago, the coalition asked for the institute’s help to gauge what its tourism assets were. That assessment and the follow-up report, both funded through a state grant, is an effort to figure out how to harness those assets.
Teaman said there is plenty to work with, from the well-known — such as Evangola State Park and Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Graycliff Estate — to the lesser-known — like antique stores, hiking trails and historic cemeteries. The report suggests packaging some of the assets together.
For example, it suggests a possible tour called "Beaches to Berries," which would include a visit to Evangola beach and hiking trails, a farm tour in Brant and North Collins and lunch at a farmers’ market.
But it’s not just about packaging, it’s also about finding new ways to attract visitors. And the Southtowns has something plentiful that might be just the ticket: farms.
"I had no clue about the agricultural wealth that we have even within Erie County," Teaman said.
Tourism isn’t all about ocean cruises and amusement parks. Agritourism is a massive industry. More than 60 million people age 16 and over visited a farm in the past year.
Peter Lombardi, a policy analyst for the institute, said rural areas that are just on the outskirts of metropolitan areas can be draws for visitors who want to get their hands dirty.
Szewczyk said the coalition already has identified about 50 farms and next plans to contact them to see how interested they would be in opening up their operations to visitors.
The report makes it clear that there are major hurdles to overcome. But it also gives a group of small, rural communities something to shoot for.
"We’ve got it," Szewczyk said. "We just have to enhance it, polish it and make other people aware of it."
It will be interesting to see if this project takes off. Vacationing -- and helping with the work -- on working farms and ranches has been a growing part of the tourism in the Midwest and West for a couple of decades (probably helped by the movie City Slickers). There's also some interesting stuff in these towns, too -- some historic, some architectural, some scenic, and some just funky -- from the octagon barn on Shirley Road in North Collins to the Kazoo Factory on Main Street in Eden to the tiny cross roads community of Clarksburg to the annual Langford Tractor Pull which has been going on for about 50 years!
Bruce Andriatch: Southtowns’ hidden asset: rural tourism
By Bruce Andriatch
Updated: 12/11/07 8:04 AM
Think of the communities of Brant, Eden, Evans and North Collins, and it’s likely that several words come to mind: Small. Rural. Agriculture.
Tourism probably isn’t near the top of the list. (It might not even be near the list).
But a report compiled by the University at Buffalo Regional Institute shows that if the southern portion of Erie County could take better advantage of its resources, it might make itself into a regional tourism destination.
"We’ve concluded that the Southtowns can tap into the growing trend in rural tourism, that that’s really what distinguishes them from the broader region’s tourism wealth," said Rachel Teaman who authored the "Tourism Toolkit" report. "It distinguishes them from Niagara Falls . . . and from the cultural assets that make Buffalo unique. The idea is that they can complement that."
The report grew out of the four towns’ collective curiosity about whether they had enough tourism potential to make it worth cultivating. It started in the mind of Lori Szewczyk, director of community development for the Town of Evans. Her town had been looking for a better way to take advantage of its tourism assets, but doing any kind of marketing was too costly to pursue.
"The surrounding communities that we already had a very good relationship with were in the same boat we were," she said. "So I thought, ‘Why don’t we get together and figure out what we might be able to do in applying for a grant that would help us attract tourists?’ "
From that dilemma, the Southtowns Community Enhancement Coalition, comprising four towns and three villages, was born.
Three years ago, the coalition asked for the institute’s help to gauge what its tourism assets were. That assessment and the follow-up report, both funded through a state grant, is an effort to figure out how to harness those assets.
Teaman said there is plenty to work with, from the well-known — such as Evangola State Park and Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Graycliff Estate — to the lesser-known — like antique stores, hiking trails and historic cemeteries. The report suggests packaging some of the assets together.
For example, it suggests a possible tour called "Beaches to Berries," which would include a visit to Evangola beach and hiking trails, a farm tour in Brant and North Collins and lunch at a farmers’ market.
But it’s not just about packaging, it’s also about finding new ways to attract visitors. And the Southtowns has something plentiful that might be just the ticket: farms.
"I had no clue about the agricultural wealth that we have even within Erie County," Teaman said.
Tourism isn’t all about ocean cruises and amusement parks. Agritourism is a massive industry. More than 60 million people age 16 and over visited a farm in the past year.
Peter Lombardi, a policy analyst for the institute, said rural areas that are just on the outskirts of metropolitan areas can be draws for visitors who want to get their hands dirty.
Szewczyk said the coalition already has identified about 50 farms and next plans to contact them to see how interested they would be in opening up their operations to visitors.
The report makes it clear that there are major hurdles to overcome. But it also gives a group of small, rural communities something to shoot for.
"We’ve got it," Szewczyk said. "We just have to enhance it, polish it and make other people aware of it."
It will be interesting to see if this project takes off. Vacationing -- and helping with the work -- on working farms and ranches has been a growing part of the tourism in the Midwest and West for a couple of decades (probably helped by the movie City Slickers). There's also some interesting stuff in these towns, too -- some historic, some architectural, some scenic, and some just funky -- from the octagon barn on Shirley Road in North Collins to the Kazoo Factory on Main Street in Eden to the tiny cross roads community of Clarksburg to the annual Langford Tractor Pull which has been going on for about 50 years!