Dutch tour operators visit Finger Lakes region

CNY Business Journal (1996+), Apr 22, 2005

PENN YAN - Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance (FLTA) worked with the New York State Division of Tourism to host nine tour operators from the Netherlands for a familiarization tour of the Finger Lakes region. Participating tour operators included representatives from Airtrade, Carlson Wagonlit, Globe Reisburo, Hotelplan, Iceland Air, and Special Traffic. Their tour leader was from the See America Center.

The group arrived in Syracuse from New York City on April 11, and ended their visit April 16, when they returned to New York City's Penn Station via Amtrak from Rochester.

While in the Finger Lakes region, the Dutch tour operators visited a variety of hotels that can accommodate tour groups, as well as attractions such as Erie Canal Park and Sims Store Museum in Camillus, MacKenzie-Childs in Aurora, Rockwell Museum of Western Art and Coming Museum of Glass in Coming, and George Eastman House and Strong Museum in Rochester. The group also took in wine-tasting sessions at several vineyards, dined at a variety of restaurants, sampled a range of entertainment venues, and experienced a few shopping destinations.

This is the first visit to the Finger Lakes region for all nine Dutch tour operators and most had never visited the state of New York, although some had previously been to Florida or California. Their comments after the first day included being "amazed by the scenery, vistas, and overall beauty" of the Finger Lakes region, according to FLTA.

"Visitors to our region always rave about how wonderful the scenery is here, which is why our group uses the tagline 'Splendid from Any Direction!' in its promotional materials," says FLTA President Alexa Gifford. "This tour for Dutch travel buyers is part of our strategy to introduce New York's Finger Lakes to tourism professionals in Europe. so they can recommend and plan visits to our region based on first-hand knowledge and experience."

In January, a dozen tour operators from Germany made a winter visit to the region, while last October, representatives from 11 British and Irish travel companies discovered the autumn beauty of the area.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has estimated that international travelers from overseas spend at least four times as much as their domestic counterparts while vacationing in the United States.

Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance is an association of privatesector attractions, tourism-related businesses, and county tourism offices working together to enhance and promote visitor business for the 9,000-square-mile Finger Lakes Region, which includes the 14 counties of Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Livingston. Monroe, Onondaga, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne, and Yates. As the official tourism promotion agency for New York's Finger Lakes, FLTA works with its county partners, attractions, and private businesses to increase the number of visitors coming into the region from other countries as Well as from around the United States.