Saturday, June 26, 2004
Local officials say advertising the area is worth considering.
By STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
VIENNA -- A day of meetings between Mahoning Valley and Sanford, Fla., officials could result in a more coordinated effort to promote tourism to the two areas, recently linked by an air route through the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.
"The promise here today is to open a dialogue on how we capitalize on each other's assets and promote each other," said Sanford Deputy City Manager Andrew Van Gaale.
At a luncheon Friday, Van Gaale and Michael Caires, public relations director for Orlando Sanford International Airport, explained what the central Florida city has done to expand its airport and grab tourism dollars.
A vital step has been to advertise and promote the area, which is attractive to tourists chiefly because of its proximity to Orlando's theme parks and Daytona Beach, Van Gaale said. The thrust has been to encourage people flying to visit other attractions to spend some time in Sanford.
"We can't keep 100 percent of the people 100 percent of the time; we just want them for a day or two," Van Gaale told the group of county and convention and visitor bureau officials.
Sanford's investments
The city made the politically difficult decision to spend money on marketing and hire a public relations firm while at the same time having to lay off workers, he said. It has also been investing money to fix roads, beautify the downtown and improve its lakefront, he said.
Advertising the Mahoning Valley to tourists is worth considering, said state Sen. Marc Dann of Liberty, D-32.
"Obviously, we have different challenges here, but we can look at people who came before us," he said.
The county convention and visitor bureau could use bed tax money to advertise the area, Trumbull County Commissioner Dan Polivka said.
"That is what the money is being paid for, I feel," he said.
The Sanford Airport, which lured its first charters from Orlando International in 1995, has grown to offer flights to 31 U.S. destinations. It is one of the fastest-growing airports in the country and anticipates growth of more than 60 percent this year, Caires said.
Local officials said they thought the Mahoning Valley could entice tourists by promoting proximity to Pittsburgh, Lake Erie, Cleveland, vineyards and golf courses.
"I think we have a lot of things to offer," Polivka said.