Gas pinch might spare Finger Lakes tourism
http://www.eveningtribune.com/state_news/x79618959Canandaigua, N.Y. -
What the Finger Lakes lose in tourism from people unwilling to drive from other regions of the country may be offset by day trippers, local boosters hope.
The extra pinch at the pump isn’t causing families to cancel their vacations yet, but they’re opting for smaller destinations closer to home, said Shaun Seufert, spokesperson for AAA of Western and Central New York.
“As gas prices tend to rise, we just see people adjusting their travel plans,” he said. “If people in Rochester are looking to a close-to-home vacation, Canandaigua is the perfect area for that.”
According to AAA’s Web site, regular unleaded gas prices could head toward $4 a gallon by this summer. That doesn’t seem to worry Chris Burns, managing director of Canandaigua’s Inn on the Lake — a hot-spot for tourists heading to Canandaigua Lake.
“We’re expecting a very good summer,” he said. “A lot of people are taking local vacations versus going far.”
Burns said the inn has done more local advertising this year, reaching out to places like Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, Ohio and parts of Canada.
Bristol Harbour Resort in South Bristol is also planning on more visitors, with a new 350-person conference and wedding facility set to be complete by this summer.
“Every year, our business grows,” said Lynne Stewart, director of sales and marketing at the resort. “With our new building, we’re hoping in the summertime when this opens up, providing that the weather cooperates, we’ll have a great summer.”
John Brahm, president of Arbor Hill Grapery/Winery in Bristol Springs, said he plans to shell out more money on advertising within a 500-mile radius of the winery. He believes that it’s much cheaper for a New Yorker to travel to the Finger Lakes wine country than it is to go to Napa Valley in California.
“Maybe we will have less visitors from longer distances and hopefully more visitors from shorter distances,” he said.
March has been a slower-than-usual month for visitors to Arbor Hill. That could be from a combination of frigid temperatures and gas prices, said Brahm. January and February were good months in comparison to previous years, he added.
“I’m a pretty optimistic person, and I’m thinking once we get into tourist season, I’m looking forward to having as many or more than last year for maybe that short-trip reason.”
It’s not just local people heading to the area. Dan Belliveau, a self-employed contractor who promotes tours to the area, said he has noticed more foreign visitors coming here, too. Belliveau said the Finger Lakes are in a good spot geographically — providing a weekend trip from New York City, Boston, Washington and Toronto.
“Foreign visitors that are looking to get a glimpse of real America are discovering the Finger Lakes,” he said. “They may fly into New York City and at the same time they may come to the Finger Lakes.”
A study by the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance shows a slight increase in hotel occupancy over the last five years, in sync with state and national trends. In 2001, occupancy was at 57.9 percent and in 2006 it was at 60.1 percent. Results of a survey mailed to visitors by the alliance showed that most tourists to the area hail from New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio and Michigan.
It’s unclear how many people were surveyed, but for 61 percent of those who responded, the trip to the Finger Lakes was a repeat visit and the average stay was a little over three nights. Seventy-four percent visited wineries during their trip.
People are spending more money on their Finger Lake getaways, too. According to the alliance’s survey, visitors reported spending $484.92 per day in 2006, compared with $257.24 in 2002. Average per-day money spent on transportation rose during those five years, from $30.11 in 2001 to $44.20 in 2006, and other costs climbed as well:
- Lodging went from $81.22 to $136.84 a night.
- Money spent on food and meals nearly doubled, from $45.56 to $88.94.
- Transportation and fuel costs went from $30.11 to $44.20.
- Money spent on shopping at wineries almost tripled, from $30.02 in 2001 to $95.33.
The alliance defines the Finger Lakes region as the 14-county area that surrounds the 11 lakes.