Turn for the Better?

By most indications, consumers are getting tired of having their vacations and day trips become victims of the recession. Many area attractions are reporting increases in visitorship as the large and important tourism sector heads into its busy season. This positive news is juxtaposed against severe budget cuts at the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, which means curtailed marketing at a time when the region could use all it can get. Overall, though, there is general optimism for the sector and the year ahead.

Mary Kay Wydra says that, for every $1 invested to promote tourism, there is a $40 return to the economy.

That’s why Wydra, president of the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau (GSCVB), was stunned last year when was she learned the state was cutting the bureau’s budget by 75%. “There are 128,000 jobs in Massachusetts dependent on the tourism industry,” she told BusinessWest. “Tourism is about jobs that range from taxi-cab drivers to people at front desks. And jobs are part of the economic recovery.”

The massive cut reduced the GSCVB’s marketing budget from $468,000 to $132,000, which is the lowest number it has had to work with since 1992.

So the bureau has had to be creative and make every dollar count. And the stakes are high; the recession has taken its toll on many attractions, but there is a general feeling that conditions are improving and people are seemingly more willing to spend money on entertainment. Some early numbers from some of the larger tourist venues, such as Springfield Museums, Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory, and Six Flags indicate that visitorship is rising over last year’s levels.

This would be a good year to have a substantial marketing budget, said Wydra, but that is not reality, so the bureau must spend what it does have in a scientific manner.

The GSCVB began its efforts by having marketing director Michele Goldberg conduct a survey of members, asking them to help prioritize their needs. Target markets have always included Southern Conn., Greater Boston, Hartford, and Upstate New York, so when members expressed a desire for more online marketing, Goldberg complied, although she cut out New York.

The bureau also created 25 partnerships with key players in the tourism industry, offering them the opportunity to be part of a cooperative funded largely by private dollars. “It allows an area attraction to take the lead role on our Web site, which cross-promotes other attractions,” Wydra explained. “We have facilitated it and funded it to the extent that we can, and been able to seed the program.”

This represents a very different tactic for the bureau, because, in the past, it leveraged state money to get private money. It also laid off employees and cut some forms of advertising entirely, such as purchasing a page in Yankee magazine.

Its other major marketing tool is the soon-to-be-released annual guidebook. In addition, the bureau is using Facebook, Twitter, and a blog that features prominently on their Web site.

“We have definitely taken a more proactive approach to public relations,” said Wydra. Measures include more press releases and talking to motorcoach opearators monthly, suggesting ideas such as a tour of the region’s country stores.

“We’ve had to be creative in our marketing strategies, but we are fully optimistic we will see an uptick this summer in tourism,” Wydra said. “The concept of staying close to home and enjoying local attractions was at its height in 2008 when gas was over $4 a gallon. People cut back on hotel stays, and last year the trend continued.

“But I think there is a pent-up demand for summer vacations, just because people have cut back for two years. Plus, national indicators show we are slowly growing out of the recession,” she continued, noting that hotel occupancy has increased since October and Greater Springfield has outpaced the state as a whole.

Wydra said ‘new’ is an important word in tourism, and the area offers that. The enshrinement at the Basketball Hall of Fame has moved to August with a full week of activities, Springfield Musueums has a new addition, and Barnes Municipal Airport will host an airshow this year.

Hands-on, experiential activities are another draw, and the region welcomed zip lines at Berkshire East and Zoar Outdoors last spring. “Berkshire East has already expanded and surpassed its goal,” Goldberg said.

Wydra said the bureau has done as much as possible to deal with the budget cuts. “We have a strong marketing program, but if we had received more funding, we would have been able to do more,” she explained. “Being very creative and very collaborative have been our key watchwords.”

View to the Future

While Wydra grapples with her budget challenges, those running area tourist attractions are being guardedly optimistic about 2010. Early numbers are positive, and if gas prices don’t go much higher, they predict that trend will continue, due largely to a combination of new or improved attractions and that aforementioned pent-up demand for holidays.

Holly Smith-Bove, president of Springfield Musuems, says overall attendance has continued to rise throughout the recession. She attributes this in part to the new Museum of Springfield History, which opened in October 2009 and has attracted new audiences to the Quadrangle complex.

The project, which entailed a $10 million renovation of the former Verizon office building on 21 Edwards St., began before the recession and and continued during the downturn. The lower level contains the Springfield History Library and Archives, while upper levels are home to a Rolls-Royce collection and the collection from the former Indian Motocycle Museum.

“There are many people who are followers of these brands,” said Smith-Bove, adding that the museums’ demographics have changed since the new facility was built. “Our adult audience is increasingly significant,” she said.

The museums have also seen an increase in demand for group tours. Marketing efforts include a recent membership drive via mailings that went out to 30,000 households. “We have backed that up with traditional advertising. We are also very involved with Twitter and Facebook,” Smith-Bove said.

So far, their efforts have been met with success. “We hope to continue the trajectory we are on. We have increased our attendance by 300% this year,” Bove-Smith said. “It’s been wonderful.”

Special summer attractions should draw crowds, she continued. “We have a really amazing exhibit in the Fine Arts Museum by New York Lego artist Nathan Sawaya, titled “The Art of the Brick.” It will take up most of the second floor and has generated a lot of excitement in other venues.”

Kathy Miller, general manager and special-events coordinator for Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory in South Deerfield, is also optimistic about the busy months ahead, mostly because the first months of the year have been solid. “Between 2008 and 2009, we were at an even pace and were able to stay consistent,” she told BusinessWest. “But in 2010, our numbers have been up, which is wonderful.”

The conservatory has paid close attention to its marketing strategy, however. “We thought a lot about it and have kept a very close eye on it,” Miller said. “What we found is that, even though the economy took a downturn, people still need to do things for themselves that are nurturing, relaxing, and that don’t break the bank. And we fit that bill.”

On Mother’s Day, the facility reported a 60% increase in business over that same holiday last year. It held a special Mothers Day dinner promotion in the restaurant, and has done all it can to make it attractive and affordable.

“It has a warm atmosphere. We offer home cooking with huge portions and reasonable prices,” Miller said. “It has only been open four years, and we have seen a steady increase in customers every year. We attribute it to word-of-mouth referrals, along with TV and newspaper ads.”

This year marks Magic Wings’ 10th anniversary, and as public awareness grows that it is open throughout the entire year, many people have used the space for baby and bridal showers. “It’s one of the things that has helped us, in addition to our butterflies and animals,” Miller said.

Magic Wings and Lupa Zoo in Ludlow recently partnered to create a traveling show, in hopes that it will bring attention to both attractions, and the butterfly conservatory is part of a two-year-old Deerfield Attractions initiative. Those efforts include advertising via the Web site deerfieldattractions.com. “We want to let people know that we’re only a half-hour from Springfield and there is a lot to do here,” Miller said.

Waxing Optimistic

Yankee Candle in Deerfield saw a slowdown in traffic after the recession hit. “The end of 2008 was very tough, as was as the first half of 2009,” said CEO Harlan Kent. “But we were actually positive in the fourth quarter of last year for the first time in nine months. We felt good about that.

“Traffic is up,” he said. “But people are being very thoughtful in terms of spending and are sticking to a budget, although we have been able to entice them a little bit.”

Such enticements include new attractions in the flagship store. In addition to being “the Disneyland for candle lovers,” the company added a Pandora store, a Dylan’s candy store, and a Popcornopolis, Kent said.

“We call it retail-tainment, and have stores within our store. We have new ones planned and are in the process of opening up something different every three months.”

Other initiatives include hands-on activities, such as Wax Works, which opened a year ago and allows visitors to create candles and wax sculptures. “We add a new activity every few months,” Kent said. “Since people are staying closer to home, we hope to attract them with these kinds of exciting attractions.”

The company opened 39 new stores in 2009, keeping with its average during the past five years. “We expect to see some moderate growth as the economy improves, and are continuously investing,” Kent said.

On May 15, the company celebrated a complete makeover of its home store and continues to add activities, such as a three-day Longaberger Basket festival in June and a 5K run to benefit the American Heart Assoc. in August. There have also been adjustments to the menu at Chandler’s restaurant, which Kent said fared pretty well in 2009. “We are doing more advertising this year, getting back to more normal levels.”

Larry Litton, president of Six Flags New England and a board member of the GSCVB, said the recession didn’t significantly impact business at the park. Still, the management team took a very proactive approach.

“We have done very well. We ran some tremendous promotions that were sensitive to the fact that money was tight,” he said. In 2009, these promotions allowed adults to pay the same entry price as children. Those promotions are continuing this year, and the park is also offering its lowest season-ticket price since 2004.

Weather plays a significant role in its attendance, but in the end, Litton believes it boils down to the value offered. “We are the largest theme park in New England and have the number-one steel roller coaster in the world,” he said.

The facility’s water park boasts new attractions, including a Johnny Rockets restaurant, and management is bringing back popular events, such as the Glow in the Dark parade and a Starburst Concert Series, with acts that appeal to teens.

“We have made a lot of changes over the last four or five years to broaden our appeal and added a lot of show products for younger children,” Kent said. “If anyone hasn’t been here for four or five years, they would not believe the changes in the property. We started this year off very strongly and are expecting a huge year.”

Still, marketing dollars spent by the Convention and Visitors Bureau help area attractions significantly, and Wydra, Kent, and other board members have gone to Boston to discuss the tourism budget in recent weeks. “There is no better investment than tourism,” Kent said, “and we hope our message resonated with the Legislature.”