Issue link: http://visitithaca.uberflip.com/i/1013621
Focus on Quality In 2017, the CVB team focused on quality, including a concerted effort to increase and improve communications with tourism industry partners, the travel trade, and our higher education community. We hosted several roundtables and presented educational sessions in 2017 ranging from What your CVB can do for You, to Ambassador Training, to Becoming Group Friendly. We worked to create more connectivity to niche industry segments, to help build visitor readiness including sessions specifically for Outdoor Recreation partners and Agriculinary Tourism partners. It's exciting to see the new collaborations, itineraries and getaway packages developed as a result. The CVB created a part-time Agriculinary Tourism Coordinator position, supported by a Strategic Tourism Implementation grant, whose sole focus is to help local farmers and producers become visitor-ready and to create opportunities for tourism industry partners to collaborate in a Farm to Fork experience. As you will see later in the report, this position has made a positive impact in just five months. In 2017, we welcomed new presidents to all three of our higher educational communities. Each has brought a new energy and a renewed spirit of collaboration to the county. We are grateful for the support we have received from the higher educational communities, especially for the CVB sales team, allowing us to invite international visitors to our community as well as potential sporting events. We look forward to continued partnerships into 2018 and beyond. We continue to see record numbers of visitors at the Overlook at Taughannock Falls, serving more visitors in six months than the number of residents who live in the City of Ithaca. The addition of retail at the Overlook Visitor Center has helped to extend our destination brand to nearly 3500 visitors in 26 countries and 46 states who purchased "Ithaca is Gorges" gear. The CVB will work to improve communications, systems, training opportunities, and targeted high-yield leads to provide the best return on investment possible to the residents of Tompkins County. We are proud to report that in 2016, visitors to Tompkins County spent $197.8 Million, which generated $25.9 Million in state and local taxes to the county. This visitor spending sustained 3,451 tourism industry jobs and provided $673 tax relief per household in Tompkins County. Safe travels, Tompkins 57.6 $160.42 $92.44 $55,812,162 % Change YOY -6.1% +1.9% -4.3% +4.2% NY Excl. NYC 53.2 $124.47 $66.20 % Change YOY -0.4% +1.1% +0.6% USA 65.9 $126.72 $83.57 % Change YOY +0.9% +2.1% +3.0% Occupany Rate Average Daily Rate Revenue Per Available Room Revenue Peggy Coleman VP, Tourism/CVB Director A Message from Peggy Coleman VP, TOURISM/CVB DIRECTOR 2017 Lodging Market Performance 1