Crains New York - July 8, 2013 - (Page 8)

THE INSIDER THE GUIDE TO by Andrew J. Hawkins and Chris Bragg HIGHER EDUCATION buck ennis Crain’s New York Business Guide to Higher Education is a valuable resource providing a look at key offerings from leading education institutions, highlighting available courses, specialized programs and upcoming events to help you expand your leadership opportunities in the workplace. Stirring up interest in upstate NY N ew York state is engaged in a bold experiment to see if a fraction of New York City’s 52 million annual visitors might consider a jaunt upstate as well. So far, expectations are modest. “It’s not going to happen overnight,” said Cristyne Nicholas, chairwoman of the New York State Tourism Advisory Council. However, thanks to a $60 million cash infusion for tourism this year, industry experts say some optimism is justified. The airwaves have been blanketed with “I ❤ NY” advertisements, with the latest campaign wooing lesbian and gay couples. Efforts are underway to beef up New York’s presence at overseas tourism conferences to better market the entire state, not just New York City, to foreign travelers. ISSUE DATE: 8/12/13 CLOSE DATE: 7/12/13 For advertising information, please contact: Irene Bar-Am (212) 210-0133 ibaram@crainsnewyork.com Special Advertising Section CRAIN’S NEW YORK LEGAL PREEMINENT LA W GUIDE 2013 Crain’s New York Legal: Preeminent Law Guide 2013 will provide you with tips, trends and insights about how to make the best decisions for your business-all in a single comprehensive resource. Distinguished lawyers and law firms have the opportunity to highlight their strengths and success stories to Crain’s valuable audience of business decision-makers, in a trusted and authoritative content environment. KEY DATES: Publishing: September 16, 2013 Close information: Regular Close Date: 8/1/2013 For more information, please visit CrainsNewYork.com/NYLegal or contact Jill Kunkes, Senior Account Executive at (212) 210-0170 or jkunkes@crainsnewyork.com. Special Advertising Section 8 | Crain’s New York Business | July 8, 2013 And the state is eyeing the lucrative meetings market, trying to lure event planners to upstate cities. Still, New York’s tourism story has long been about the city’s success and upstate’s aspirations. The industry employs 712,000 statewide, including almost 400,000 downstate, and generates $29 billion in wages annually. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has recently injected new energy into tourism, convening a statewide conference in May and endlessly touting the state’s travel-friendly attractions or creating new ones, like his “Adirondack Challenge” whitewater rafting competition featuring himself and the state’s legislative leaders. (It remains unscheduled.) Half of the money lawmakers budgeted to market the state is earmarked for storm-ravaged regions, such as the Rockaways, Long Beach and Coney Island. Next year, the tourism budget is expected to drop back to $30 million. Still, Ms. Nicholas and others believe that is enough to draw more visitors upstate. The state’s tourism arm, in collaboration with its city counterpart NYC & Company, will soon debut “visitor touch points” in Times Square to prompt travelers to consider Niagara Falls and other upstate destinations. Big meetings are also in play. This September, two major conferences will be held upstate: the TMS Family Travel Conference, in Niagara Falls, and the Outdoor Writers Association of America, in Lake Placid. But not all aspects of Mr. Cuomo’s tourism strategy are uncontroversial. His plan to create four Las Vegas-style casinos upstate, for example, has elicited skepticism. Mark Dorr, vice president of the New York State Tourism and Hospitality Association, said his group has yet to take a position on the casino plan, despite Mr. Cuomo’s insistence that luxury casinos will help revitalize depressed communities. “It remains to be seen,” Mr. Dorr said.“It may work in one area, and it may not work in another.” Alan Woinski, who writes a wellread blog on the gambling industry for Gaming USA Corp., said that it would be difficult for “destination” casinos upstate to draw tourists from New York City because gamblers tend to patronize establishments nearby. Neighboring states already have casinos closer to the city. Mr. Woinski added that families could be drawn to casinos in places like the Catskills that have outdoor attractions. But competition would force the casinos to add expensive amenities, such as entertainment venues, and to offer free rooms to lure visitors. “Most true gamblers don’t even care about going outside the casino,” Mr. Woinski said. “They don’t even leave the casino.” Ⅲ GETTING AHEAD OF HIMSELF: “Tourism is big business, especially upstate again.” —Gov. Andrew Cuomo http://www.CrainsNewYork.com/NYLegal

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - July 8, 2013

Crains New York - July 8, 2013
IN THE MARKETS
BUSINESS PEOPLE
SMALL BUSINESS
INSIDER
REAL ESTATE DEALS
OPINION
GREG DAVID
NICOLE GLAROS
IN THE BOROUGHS
TOURISM REPORT
CLASSIFIEDS
FOR THE RECORD
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
SOURCE LUNCH
OUT AND ABOUT
SNAPS

Crains New York - July 8, 2013