BICYCLISTS BRING BUSINESS! Canalway Trail Tourism for your downtown Free Roundtable and Bikearound in Albion October 10 and 11
Submitted by: Parks & Trails New York
The
New York State Canal Corporation and Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor
are partnering with Parks & Trails New York to present a series of events
aimed at helping Canalway Trail communities take advantage of the growing
bicycle tourist market. Events include
an evening roundtable on Wednesday, October 10 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Albion’s
Hoag Library, 134 South Main Street, and
a bike “visit” to Albion beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 11.
Entitled
“Bicyclists Bring Business,” the roundtable will focus on how to attract and
profit from the area’s growing number of bicycle tourists. Local business people, elected officials,
Chambers of Commerce, Tourist Promotion Agencies, and interested citizens are
invited to attend. The Western Erie Canal Alliance (WECA) will host the event.
As
a follow up to the roundtable, on Thursday, October 11 there will be a “bicycle
visit” designed to use the previous evening’s presentation as a basis for
experiencing the Village of Albion and Erie Canalway Trail as a cycling tourist. Participants should meet at 10:00 a.m., at Albion’s Golden Gourd Bistro, 118 N. Main Street. Following the bike ride there will be time to
discuss the “visit” and possible solutions to identified issues over a
pay-your-own lunch at the Golden
Gourd Bistro.
Brian U. Stratton,
Director of the New York State Canal Corporation, said, “New York’s Canal system contributes nearly $380 million annually to
the economy of upstate New York, including more than $41 million annually from
the Canalway Trail. The Canalway Trail is an integral part of the
infrastructure that supports tourism and recreation along the corridor. The Canal Corporation is proud to sponsor this
roundtable to help local communities and businesses benefit from this
tremendous resource.”
Robin
Dropkin, Executive Director of Parks & Trails New York, said, “The Canalway
Trail
Corridor has what it takes to be an attractive destination for the cycling
tourist, especially in western New York
–almost 100 miles of continuous, off-road Erie Canalway Trail;
impressive historic sites and museums; charming B&B's and inns; and country
stores and farm stands. Through the
roundtables, we want to help Canalway Trail businesses and communities attract
bicyclists and outdoor enthusiasts and thereby increase their share of tourism
dollars.”
”The
Canalway Trail offers a comfortable and safe trail for biking & hiking. WECA
is excited to host this program. It provides an opportunity for
bicyclist, businesses and community officials to work together to become
bicycle and hiking friendly communities,” said WECA Executive Director Joan
Delaro.
Studies
consistently show that bicycle and other outdoor tourists come from high-income
households, typically spend between $100 and $300 per day, and will travel
significant distances to regions offering a good mix of cycling, attractions,
and services. With this summer’s
announcement that work will begin on closing the gaps in the Canalway Trail between
Amherst and Lockport and in the town of Lyons and with the many other area trails
under construction or planned, the Canalway Trail Corridor is becoming
increasingly attractive to those wishing to enjoy a cycling vacation in Upstate
New York.
The
roundtable will cover the demographics and needs of the bicycle tourist as well
as offer tips for making communities and businesses more bicycle-friendly and
attractive to other outdoor recreationalists.
Attendees will receive a copy of Parks & Trails New York’s guidebook,
“Bicyclists
Bring Business: A Guide for Attracting Bicyclists to New York’s Canal
Communities.” There
will also be time to network with business people and tourism professionals
from other communities and enjoy some light refreshments.
Parks & Trails New York is the only statewide, non-profit
organization dedicated to preserving and expanding a network of parks,
greenways, and trails for all New Yorkers to enjoy.
Since 1998, Parks & Trails New York has been working in partnership
with the NYS Canal Corporation to help canal communities plan, develop and
promote the Canalway Trail. Parks &
Trails New York organizes Cycling the Erie Canal, the highly successful
400-mile, eight day bike tour, now in its 14th year, that annually
attracts more than 500 participants to ride from Buffalo to Albany, and has
published the popular, 136-page guidebook, Cycling
the Erie Canal: A Guide to 400 miles of adventure and history along the Erie
Canalway Trail.
When
complete, the New York State Canalway Trail System will span more than 500
miles and connect numerous cities, towns, and villages along the Erie,
Cayuga-Seneca, Oswego, and Champlain Canals, making it one of the longest
multi-use recreational trails in the country.
To learn
more about the New York State Canalway Trail and Canal System or to obtain a
free map, please call 1-800-4CANAL4 or visit the Canal Corporation’s website at
www.nyscanals.gov .
Roundtable
space is limited. RSVP to Parks & Trails New York at B3roundtable@ptny.org or by calling 518-434-1583
by October 9.
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