Spring 2013


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Greetings!

Spring is literally just around the corner and visitors will be out and about soon trying to shake off the winter doldrums. It's a great time to experience our beautiful countryside, get some fresh air and visit a winery or two (or three) to enhance the mood. The Cayuga County Office of Tourism has been busy all winter long planning events and activities for our tourism partners. Read on....

Sweet Treat Trail Tasting Tour
Bee Attitudes

Our Sweet Treat Trail partners will be creating more awareness of the trail this year by kicking off a season-long tasting tour at the Tourism Office on Friday, May 3rd from 5-8 p.m. in conjunction with downtown Auburn's First Friday event. 27 Sweet Treat businesses will provide FREE samples and tastings and Sweet Treat Trail Passes will be distributed to encourage people to visit the businesses, get their pass punched and become eligible for one of three sweet treat baskets. The "Grand Finale" of the tour will be a final tasting event at TomatoFest and basket drawing on September 7th and 8th at Emerson Park.

Front Line Familiarization Tour

The Tourism Office will be hosting our annual front line familiarization tour on Tuesday, May 14. The theme of this year's tour will be the Finger Lakes Sweet Treat Trail, featuring stops at some of our wonderful shops, farms, and bakeries that grow and /or produce the unique sweets and treats that make Cayuga County special. Our annual front line familiarization tours are a great way to learn about Cayuga County's attractions so you can share this information with our visitors. For more information and to sign up for the tour, contact [email protected]

Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival Packages and Deals

The Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival will kick-off it's second season with Singin' in the Rain at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse on May 29th. Email your Festival packages and deals to [email protected] to be included in all of our upcoming promotions.

Be a part of Path Through History Weekends!

Path Through History Weekends will be held June 1-2 and 8-9, 2013 to showcase New York State's history and cultural significance, and also to promote tourism and economic development in every region of the state. With hundreds of museums and heritage sites throughout the state offering special programming at the start of the summer tourism season, this year is sure to be the most successful yet! For more information visit www.paththroughhistoryweekends.com and be sure to email your special events and programs to [email protected] so we can spread the word about Cayuga County's wonderful historic and cultural sites.  

LGBT Training 

The Cayuga County Office of Tourism will be hosting LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) Outreach and Customer Service Training on June 5th from 9-11 a.m. at the Stardust Foundation conference room, 2 State Street, downtown Auburn. This two -hour webinar will be conducted by Community Marketing, Inc. a San Francisco-based LGBT owned/operated company with 20+ years of consumer research, strategic consulting, marketing planning, communications, and training services. Learn about market data, best practices, trends, and custom marketing to the LGBT communities.   Tourism and hospitality is treating every guest, as well as the people you work with, with dignity and respect! The workshop fee is $20 per person and space is limited. Register today by contacting [email protected].

2nd Annual New York State Museum Week 2013  

I LOVE NY is excited to continue supporting the museum community throughout New York State with the promotion and celebration of the 2nd Annual New York State Museum Week - June 10-16, 2013 as part of Path Through History.

 

If you would like your museum to be included in this promotion, a contact from your instituiton must complete the registration form that can be accessed through this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YY8YTHD 

 

By participating museums are required & agree to: offer a special discount (such as buy one admission receive the second free or a percentage off) and/or special programming/events(s) for the week-long celebration.

 

If you have any questions about the program please contact [email protected].

Golf Promotion
Toronto Golf Show

With Rochester hosting the PGA and LPGA tournaments this year we feel this is a good time get information out about our wonderful and affordable golf courses.   We are working with several other counties in the Finger Lakes to promote golf and generate business particularly during the spring and fall shoulder seasons. In March, we attended the Toronto Golf Show and a media and travel trade reception to encourage Canadians to visit us, play golf, dine, shop, relax and enjoy our other attractions.   20% of the Canadian population plays golf so this is a wonderful market for us to tap into. Golf Courses and accommodations are encouraged to send us their special deals and packages so we can feature them on our web site. Email to [email protected].  

Cayuga County Information

Over 3000 people visited the Cayuga County Office of Tourism in 2012 with the majority being from New York State, followed by Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. In addition, we saw visitors from 19 countries outside of the United States, with the top three being Canada, Germany and Great Britain. We also distributed 2265 brochures from our Arby's/Tim Horton's location which began in July. The fee for Cayuga County attractions/lodging that would like to be featured throughout the year is $50; $100 for non-Cayuga County attractions/lodging. Distribution from our downtown office is FREE! Please make sure we have a supply of your brochures so we can help promote your business. 

2013 Cayuga County Guide now available
2013 Cayuga County Travel Guide

The Official Visitors Guide to Cayuga County is now available. This comprehensive guide offers year round information for visitors on things to do, places to stay and annual events in Cayuga County. Please stop by the Tourism Office and pick up a supply!

Cayuga County Rocks the Awards!
  • Skaneateles Suites received a 2013 Traveler's Choice Award from TripAdvisor in the category of Top 25 Bargain Hotels in the United States. The property is ranked 7.
     
  • Bet the Farm's Traminette won first place in the category of "Best Finger Lakes White Wine" at the Finger Lakes Foodie Awards held March 18th in Canandaigua. Also recognized as a finalist at the awards ceremony was the Aurora Inn in the category of "Best Locavore Restaurant Menu in the Finger Lakes."   
News to Share
  • King Ferry Winery is expanding their bimonthly Farmers' Market and is looking for more local artists and artisans to join them. For more information contact [email protected] 
  • The International Antique & Classic Boat Show will be held in Skaneateles September 16-21, 2014 bringing 500-600 visitors to our area!
  • A Cayuga Lake Blueway Trail Plan Workshop will be held Thursday, April 25, 2013, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. with a keynote address at 12:30 p.m. at Cayuga Village Hall, 6205 Railroad Street, Cayuga. For more information, contact Harriet Haynes, [email protected] or Thomas Knife, [email protected]. 
Have news to share?
 
Please submit your news to Meg Vanek, Executive Director, at
 
Cayuga County Office of Tourism
131 Genesee Street 
Auburn, NY 13021

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