Cayuga County Tourism

Winter 2009
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Greetings!

Winter may not seem like the best time of year for those of us that live in the Finger Lakes year round, but for visitors it's a time to delight in the sweetness of a Finger Lakes ice wine and enjoy the cozy romance of our country inns and B&Bs, while avoiding the crowds and higher prices of the busy summer and fall seasons. Winter in the Finger Lakes offers visitors cross-country skiing on pristine snow-covered lakeshores, time to browse leisurely through our museums, and great lodging prices. There may not be as many visitors around during the winter months, but those that do come are sure to be pampered and appreciated.

2009 Visitors Guide to Cayuga County
 
Cayuga County Tourism

As I am writing, the 2009 Visitors Guide is on press and will be available by the time you receive this newsletter. This year's guide retained the same format of the popular 2008 guide with additional new photography added. The cover image was taken on the veranda of the Aurora Inn with the breathtaking view of Cayuga Lake as the backdrop. 65,000 guides are being printed to use as a response to visitor inquiries, and to be distributed at tourism information centers and travel shows. In addition, the guides will be available at all accommodations and major venues within Cayuga County. Local firm, Coburn Design, designed the guide. Please stop by the Tourism Office to pick up a supply. Our winter office hours are Monday-Wednesday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. and Thursday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.


Travel Trends
 

The 2009 results of the annual "Travel Trends Survey" produced by "Travel Leaders" show that the U.S. recession is having a major impact on the traveling public and the travel industry. The 2009 traveler is focused on saving money and these are the top ways the are looking to do that:

  • Being flexible with dates
  • Staying at all-inclusives
  • Using frequent flyer miles
  • Taking a cruise
  • Booking only if there is a promotion or 'deal'
  • Taking shorter trips
  • Driving rather than flying
Travelers are also booking much later due to the economy and job security, making it extremely difficult to forecast upcoming bookings. It is definitely a 'buyers market' when it come to travel in 2009 and the hope is that the incomparable incentives and promotions being offered will spur the public to travel.


Calling all Event Planners
 
Renaissance Festival

If you have an event coming up that will bring visitors to Cayuga County, please submit details to our Digital Marketing Manager, Maureen McEvers, [email protected]. Your event will be posted on the www.tourcayuga.com and iloveny.com web sites free of charge. Events must occur in Cayuga County and have the potential to draw visitors from outside our local communities.


Tourism Board Welcomes Chair of County Legislature
 

Peter Tortorici, the new Chair of the Cayuga County Legislature, will serve as an Ex-Officio Director on the Cayuga County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CCCVB) Board of Directors. The CCCVB is very proud and pleased to have the Chair of the Legislature devote time and interest to our tourism promotion efforts.


New Interactive Calendar on TourCayuga.com
 

A new interactive calendar of events has been added to tourcayuga.com, making it easier for visitors to find events happening over the entire period of time that they intend to visit. Check out http://www.tourcayuga.com/events/events.php and try out the new calendar.


VacationNYToday.com
 

Cayuga County is participating in the New York Travel & Vacation Association's new cooperative website, www.vacationnytoday.com. Through a combination of banner advertising and web site copy this program will give Cayuga County a presence in major feeder markets including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Cleveland, Toronto and Ottawa. We will also be featured on major travel sites including tripadvisor.com, Travel.Yahoo.com and Fodors.com. In addition, there will be banner ads placed on news/search/social sites including NYTimes.com, Weather.com, Google.com and Linkedin.com. This new program will give Cayuga County a greatly expanded presence on the Internet, which continues to be the #1 resource for visitor information. The official launch is March 1, 2009.


News to share
 

  • Burritt's Caf� in Weedsport received the 2008 Small Business of the Year Award from the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce. Burritt's features Organic Fair Trade Coffee, light meals daily, pastries made in-house and music Thursday-Sunday. Visit www.burritts.com.
  • Marc and Dawn Shultz opened Bistro One in downtown Auburn in December. The restaurant features an eclectic mix of appetizers, soups, salads and entrees, with seasonal offerings of organic and local products when they are available. Visit www.bistroone.org.


Have news to share?
 

Please submit your news to Meg Vanek, Executive Director, at [email protected].



Cayuga County Office of Tourism
131 Genesee Street
Auburn, NY 13021

Phone: 315-255-1658 / 800-499-9615
Fax: 315-255-3742
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