REGIONAL & MULTI-COUNTY PROMOTIONAL PROGRAMS

EDUCATION & ADVOCACY

Cayuga County Office of Tourism131 Genesee Street, Auburn, NY 13021

Phone: 315/255-1658 • 800/499-9615 Fax: 315/255-3742 E-mail: info@TourCayuga.com Web: TourCayuga.com

CAYUGA COUNTY CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU

Visitors to Cayuga County spend $100.95 million annually on

Lodging $30.72 million

Food & Beverage $21.07 million

Retail & Service Stations $17.44 million

Second Homes $16.35 million

Transportation $11.97 million

Recreation $3.40 million

TOURCAYUGA.COM

OVERVIEW

Gino Alberici Cayuga County Parks Commission

Rosemary BarlettaLong Point Winery

Kristin Bridges Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival

Jessica Cantu Hilton Garden Inn

Meghan Clary Auburn Public Theater

Meryl Davis Inns of Aurora

Linda Eldred Strawberry Fields

Andrew Fish Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce

Jennifer Haines City of Auburn, Planning & Economic Development

Jim Hotaling Smokey Hollow Maple Syrup

Dan Larson Fair Haven Chamber of Commerce

Deanna LockwoodHoliday Inn

Steve Lynch Cayuga County Planning & Economic Development

Tim QuillWard O’Hara Agricultural Museum

Connie Reilley Downtown Auburn BID

Natalie StetsonSeward House Museum

Rita Trenti Hilton Garden Inn

Judy Wright Cornell Cooperative Extension

STAFFMeg Vanek Executive Director

Gillian Sears Administrative & Project Coordinator

Maureen McEvers Digital Marketing Manager

Lucy Thomas Visitor Information Assistant

Audrey Iwanicki Visitor Information Assistant

30.72

21.0717.44

16.35

11.97

3.4

Tourism generates $12.05 MILLION in state & local taxes in Cayuga County.

Hotel Industry stats from 2014 to 2015

Room Revenue +3.9% change

Average Daily Rate +3.0% change

Revenue Per Available Room +2.1% change

TOURISM is responsible for the employment of

1847 PEOPLE in Cayuga County.

RESEARCHEDUCATION

2015 BOARD OF DIRECTORSJessica Cantu Chair Steve Lynch Vice Chair

Judy Wright Treasurer

Rita Trenti Secretary

2015 ANNUAL REPORT ON TOURISM

CAYUGA COUNTYOFFICE OF TOURISM

in tax relief per Cayuga County household.

Tourism provides $388

14-County Finger Lakes Vacation Region14-county Tourism Promotion Agency program to create top-of-mind awareness of the Finger Lakes Region as a tourism destination.• Fingerlakestravelny.com • Facebook, Twitter and Youtube Accounts• Public Relations program • I Love Fresh Air outdoor recreation promotion• Region-wide destination marketing analysis

research project

Finger Lakes Tourism AlliancePrivate organization offering regional marketing opportunities• Regional Travel Guide ad • Group Travel Planner • AAA/CAA program• NYS Thruway Information Centers • www.fingerlakes.org

(over half a million visitors annually)• Brochure distribution at three information centers

A Welcome Surprise Canadian PromotionMulti-partner, inter-regional promotional program targeting the Greater Toronto market, spearheaded by VisitRochester• Display ad in ‘A Welcome Surprise!’ insert

distributed through the Toronto Star, Sun Newspaper Group, and CTM Corporation.

• Interviews and commercials on Cross Border Showcase Radio Program, 10,000 listeners weekly

• Events & Billboards – representation at Discover America Day, I Love NY Canada Road Show, The Women’s National Show and Burlington Children’s Festival as well Canadian Billboards

• Social Media campaign on Facebook, Twitter and Google+

• Awelcomesurprise.com web site• Flxgetaway.com website, Facebook, Twitter and

Pinterest • Public relations – 4 media FAMS and 14 media

placements specific to the Canadian Market

Lake Ontario Sportsfishing Promotion Council (LOSPC)8 county (Jefferson, Oswego, Cayuga, Wayne, Monroe, Orleans, Niagara, St. Lawrence) initiative to promote sportsfishing on Lake Ontario.• www.loc.org• Print advertising & fulfillment • Shows• Rack Cards

Great Lakes Seaway Trail10 County initiative to promote the attractions along the 454-mile scenic route paralleling Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.• Journey magazine

• www.seawaytrail.com

Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway3 County (Cayuga, Tompkins, Seneca) initiative to pro-mote attractions and driving tours around Cayuga Lake. • brochure• advertising• cayugalake.com • Geocaching trail• Signs

Golf is Great in Rochester & the Finger LakesCooperative golf promotion targeting Ontario, Canada including Genesee County, Ontario County, Cayuga County, Monroe County and Wayne County Tourism as well as the Finger Lakes Golf Trail. Program compo-nents include:• Golf is Great brochure • Toronto Golf Show • Albany, NY Golf Show• Direct Mail • Monthly e-blasts• Web site • Listing in New York State Golf Guide • Brochure distribution at information centers

• In 2015 we contracted with Young Strategies, Inc. , a nation-ally recognized research and planning firm focusing on destination marketing organizations and travel destinations, to conduct a travel market research study to provide customer-focused data with recommendations for action that the CCCVB will craft into strategies for future growth.

• We continue to purchase a ‘Comparative Counties’ monthly report from Smith Travel research, which provides us with hotel occupancy and room rate data. These reports are valu-able market tracking tools, helping us to gauge the impact of our promotional efforts.

• Data analysis from Internet inquiry database• In addition, we use all research available through the NYS

Division of Tourism, D.K. Shifflet, and other reliable sources to make sound marketing decisions.

We recognize the need to build long-term public support of the tourism industry in Cayuga County through recognition of the impact of tourism on the local community, particulary in the area of economic development.

• 2014 Annual Report on Tourism distributed to community leaders

• Quarterly e-newslettter to tourism partners • “On the Road” board meetings in Auburn,

Jordan, Aurora and Fair Haven • Auburn Doubledays billboard • Local economic impact ads• Quarterly column in The Citizen newspaper• Monthly interviews on WAUB radio

The Cayuga County office of Tourism assesses the training needs for tourism organizations and businesses in Cayuga County and provides work-shops, programs, and special tools to address those needs.• Educational familiarization tour

for Board members • Familiarization tour for local and regional

tourism industry • Leadership Cayuga sponsorship• Leadership Cayuga

Economic Development Panel• Annual Meeting & Tourism Awards• International Tourism workshop

ADVOCACY

COUNTY PROMOTIONAL PROGRAMSIn 2015 the Cayuga County Office of Tourism was committed to researching, developing and/or implementing the following key initiatives:

• Encourage, develop and promote unique local culinary experiences especially the Finger Lakes Sweet Treat Trail, wineries, breweries & farm-to-table

• Conduct County-specific as well as regional travel market research to identify new opportunities for growth and development that will drive more visitation to Cayuga County and provide data for our new five-year strategic plan

• Target markets within a 6-hour drive, especially NY, OH, PA, NJ & Canada

• Maintain Boomer market, while growing the Gen X & Gen Y markets

• Promote shoulder seasons

• Continue regional partnerships & seek new alliances and coop opportunties

• Continue to develop group market with direct sales marketing efforts

• Develop materials to promote Cayuga County as an LGBTQ – friendly destination

• Support new product development based on current research

STRATEGIC DIRECTIONPUBLICATIONS• Cayuga County Visitors Guide - UPDATED

• Historic Auburn (for Historic & Cultural Sites Commission)

• Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway • Cayuga County mini map • Biking and Hiking trail cards • “Did you know?” trivia booklets • Cayuga County Fishing Guide • FREE Cayuga County visitor’s Map – NEW FORMAT • ‘Let’s Color Cayuga’ coloring book• Route 90 50-Mile Garage Sale brochure - UPDATED

• “On the Water” guide/map • Sweet Treat Trail & Tasting Tour Pass- UPDATED

• For the Birds • Destination wedding guide • South Street Auburn Historic Walking Tour – NEW

INQUIRIES24,636 inquiries generated from ads placed in print, television, the Internet and social media; the largest trackable generators being AAA Car & Travel, Better Homes & Gardens, Famiy Circle, Family Fun, Great Vacation Getaways, Ladies Home Journal, Haunted History Trail, Midwest Living, More & Oprah Magazine.

TOURISM INFORMATION CENTERSThe Cayuga County Office of Tourism acts as a tourism information center and is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Additionally, during the months of July and August the Office is open on Saturdays, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. In 2015, over 2000 people visited our office. In addition, we maintain a visitor information rack at Arby’s in Weedsport where 4378 brochures were distributed during 2015.

Our information is also available at the following information centers:

• Gateway Information Center (Binghamton)• NYS Thruway: Pembroke, Warners, Sloatsburg, Plattekill, New Baltimore, Scottsville & Schuyler• Petro Service Center• NYS Gateway Center (1000 Islands)• Preble Area Rest Stop (I-81)• Chautauqua Lake Rest Area –I-86 eastbound• Bouckville Visitor Center• Yankee Doodle distribution points: Rochester,

Batavia, Darien, Hartland & surrounding

PUBLIC RELATIONSWe recognize the power of public relations to gain added exposure, reach large audiences and garner top-of-mind awareness of Cayuga County and the Finger Lakes Region. We participate in the Finger Lakes Region and I Love NY public relations programs, supplemented with our own in-house promotional efforts.Tactics include:

• Social media • Promotional opportuntiies • Media visits • Editorial calendar monitoring • Media lead tip sheets • Media pitches• Press releases

Our public relations efforts generated 64 editorial placements in online and print publications, radio and television. Significant media placements included Yahoo! Travel, budgettravel.com, USAToday, Buffalo News Magazine, Wine Enthusiast Magazine, CountryLiving.com, travelandleisure.com and foodnetwork.com.

DIGITAL MARKETING • 43,587 unique visits to www.TourCayuga.com• Monthly promotional e-blasts • Tourcayuga.com ‘Inside Cayuga’ blogs • Twitter • Facebook • Flickr• Pinterest• Instagram • FourSquare • On-line Visitors Guide• TripAdvisor Finger Lakes, NY destination page

SHOW PROGRAMThe Cayuga County Office of Tourism distrubuted our visitors guide at more than 20 travel shows in the United States and Canada in conjunction with the NYS Travel Industry Association/CONY, the Lake Ontario Sportsfishing Council, Visit Rochester & I Love NY. The shows ranged from the Cleveland Outdoor Adventure Show to the AAA Great Vacations Expo in Columbus, Ohio to the Snowbird Extravaganza Show in Lakeland, Florida.

AUBURN’S HISTORIC & CULTURAL SITES COMMISSIONPromotional program to link Auburn’s historic & cultural sites through joint promotion & marketing, funded by the City of Auburn, administered by the Cayuga County Office of Tourism• Info Center program • Historyshometown.com• Public Relations • Passport to History program • Advertising & fulfillment • ‘Holiday Traditions’ promotion• Facebook Page • Fort Hill Cemetery podcast

GROUP SALES PROGRAMOur group sales program works to leverage our tour-ism assets for meetings and conferences and group tours. Strategically located within New York State with many sought after activities and a variety of lodg-ing options, Cayuga County is positioned for growth in these markets. In 2015, our group sales efforts continued to grow, procuring leads and developing relationships with decision makers. These efforts proved beneficial with 1917 actual room nights from group tours booked in 2015, generating an estimated $621,747 in economic impact.

Key elements of the program include: • Trade Shows• Direct mail• Collateral • Familiarization Tours • Itinerary planning• Giveaway items• Groups & Meetings e-newsletters• Lead follow-up

TOURCAYUGA.COM

I LOVE NEW YORK is a registered trademark and service mark of the New York State Department of Economic Development; used with permission.

award-winning wineries

crystal clear lakes

farm fresh markets

amazing history

Write your own history,

while enjoying some of ours.

charming lakeside villages

performing arts

TourCayuga.com

Cayuga County • Finger Lakes Region

For a FREE Visitors Guide call(800) 499-9615 Auburn, Aurora, Fair Haven & King Ferry

NEW INITIATIVES IN 2015• LGBTQ photo shoot

• International tourism training

• Young Strategies Visitor Research Project

• New Free City/County maps

• South Street Auburn Historic Walking Tour brochure

PerformingArts

Award-Winning Wineries8 Lakes & the Erie Canal

HistoricSites

Shopping

Sail Away!

Located near the heart of the Finger Lakes, Cayuga County’s towns and villages are perfect for sightseeing, shopping, dining and enjoying the lush Finger Lakes region.

tourcayuga.com

Montreal380 MilesOttawa223 Miles

Albany175 Miles

Boston340 Miles

NYC269 MilesWashington, DC334 Miles

Harrisburg265 Miles

Cleveland311 Miles

Buffalo125 Miles

Niagara Falls139 Miles

Toronto218 Miles

90

81

88

87

84

CAYUGA COUNTY

ROCHESTER60 MilesSYRACUSE30 Miles

ITHACA35 Miles

Finger LakesThe Official Visitors’ Guide to Cayuga County

The 2015 Finger Lakes Regional Public Relations Program secured 179 media placements that resulted in

1,253,714,066 media impressions.