County Tourism Alotments
By Kathy Kellogg

The economic engine of tourism will be fueled in 2009 using a total of $200,000 in Cattaraugus County tourism promotion funds, a sum to be divided among four community groups in a unanimous vote by Cattaraugus County Legislators Feb. 25.

The Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce will receive $88,000 that must be spent before Jan. 10, 2010 to attract visitors to the community, and to then send these visitors to other parts of the county. The Chamber’s “Destination Development” promotional effort, trimmed from a $175,000 request submitted to the county in 2008, relies on a plan of advertising and communications for a dozen festivals and events that are scheduled throughout the year.

Also receiving funds are: the Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce, $60,000, reduced from a $64,000 request; the Salamanca Chamber of Commerce, $27,000; and the Randolph Area Community Alliance, $25,000, reduced from a $29,787 request. All four groups said they adjusted their initial request for more equitable distribution of the $200,000 grant and formed a new alliance to meet often and share expertise. They also expressed a desire to tap into the resources of the County’s Economic Development, Planning and Tourism Department.

The four recipients were the only promotion groups submitting requests for the 2009 funding and renewed their requests Feb. 12. With the Feb. 25 s approval of the funding package, the Legislature asked the four entities to assist in promoting events and festivals in several nearby communities. The Ellicottville Chamber will be responsible for promoting events in the town and village of Ellicottville, West Valley and the Otto area.

The Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce will be responsible for assisting the city and town of Olean, the town and village of Allegany, the Pfeiffer Nature Center, the Bonagany Festival, the Cattaraugus County-Olean Municipal Airport, Hinsdale Heritage Day and Portville Heritage Day. The Salamanca Area Chamber of Commerce will assist the city and town of Salamanca, Little Valley and Great Valley. The Randolph Area Community Development Corp. will cover the village and town of Randolph, the village of East Randolph, the Amish Trail Corridor leading into Gowanda, including Leon, Conewango and South Dayton.

Brian McFadden, Ellicottville Chamber’s Director, presented the Development and Agriculture with his organization’s “Destination Development” strategy during the Feb. 12 meeting. It rests on combining the county’s funds with sponsorship monies to obtain the greatest value in TV spots, radio campaigns, the Chamber’s website, Internet marketing in key areas, Toronto newspaper ads, public relations efforts resulting in national and international media exposure, as well as brochures.
With the other funding recipients he then returned to the Feb. 18 Committee meeting, and to the full Legislature’s session Feb. 25 to watch how the legislators arrived at a decision, stating afterward that he is pleased with the outcome.

“The four grantees, Ellicottville, Olean and Salamanca Chambers and Randolph Community Development Corporation worked very hard to craft a proposal that we believe will best promote tourism in the Enchanted Mountains of Cattaraugus County, said Mr. McFadden.
“The Development and Agriculture Committee spent a lot of time with us to better understand the importance of tourism to Cattaraugus County and how the new alliance between the Chambers of Commerce will produce even better results than we had as individual groups.” he said.
“In 2008 we individually returned over $200,000 in new lodging taxes to the county after having received a $110,000 grant in that same year. It is our commitment to do even better in 2009 thanks to the fore site of our County leaders.”

Ellicottville Chamber officials asked lawmakers on Feb. 12 to explain how the County’s $637,000 in 2008 bed tax revenues are to be spent and how that decision is made, noting that much of the money is generated through promotions of the Ellicottville community. Some have said all of that money should be spent on tourism.

The Legislature’s tourism funding resolution approved Feb. 25 makes no mention of the status of a county Economic Development, Planning and Tourism Department request for a share in the promotion funds. The resolution also has nothing to do with a proposed county-sponsored independent Tourism Bureau, which would receive an unspecified amount of funding from both Seneca Allegany Casino revenues and the bed tax.