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The Capital Post - reprinted by permission of the Greenway Conservancy

Greenway Conservancy
for the Hudson River Valley, Inc.

Final Report
Volume I: Findings and Recommendations

On behalf of the Greenway Conservancy for the Hudson River Valley, Inc. I extend our sincere appreciation to the several hundred individuals and organizations who participated in development of this Regional Tourism Strategy for the Hudson River Valley. Their knowledge of the industry, their passionate concern for the Valley, and their creative ideas have been the heart and soul of this endeavor. Their sustained commitment will assure successful implementation of tourism development programs that are truly entrepreneurial and responsive to the needs of the tourism industry, of the visitors they serve, and of residents of this region.

We very much appreciate and acknowledge the support and commitment of the several agencies that joined with the Conservancy to fund this study: New York State Department of Economic Development, the Urban Development Corporation, the Hudson River Valley Greenway Communities Council, and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Heritage Areas Program.

The Greenway Conservancy's Task Force on Tourism and Transportation is commended for the substantial role it played in shaping the policy direction of this strategy. Our very special thanks to the Strategy Steering Committee that monitored and guided the process on a regular basis throughout the study period. Beyond the Task Force and Steering Committee (members listed), we must acknowledge the extra efforts made by the following individuals and organizations whose day-to-day participation provided momentum and enthusiasm for the strategy throughout the region:

Neville Bugwadia, Special Assistant to the Commissioner,
     NYS Department of Economic Development
Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun
Linda Dickerson, Mid-Hudson Pattern for Progress
Robert Elliott, Mayor, Croton-on-Hudson
T.R. Gallo, Mayor, City of Kingston
Greater Hudson Valley Coordinating Council
Thomas A. Hughes, Washington's Headquarters Historic Site
Historic River Towns of Westchester
Hudson Valley Tourism
Senator William Larkin
Assemblywoman Naomi Matusow
Barnabas McHenry
Ernst Meier, Hotel Thayer
Thomas R. Martinelli, Hudson Valley Magazine
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library staff
McKelden Smith, Historic Hudson Valley

                    Maggie Vinciguerra, Executive Director
            Greenway Conservancy for the Hudson River Valley, Inc.

QL CONSULTING, INC
Burt Woolf, President
594 Marrett Road Suite #15
Lexington, Massachusetts 02173
(617) 863-2575

The Office of Thomas J. Martin
Tom Martin, Principal
124 Mount Auburn Street, Suite #200 North
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
(617) 576-5800

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As with most post-industrial and defense-based regional economies in the 1990's, the economy of the Hudson River Valley is emerging from a period of change and uncertainty. Governmental jurisdictions and their public agencies, as well as business improvement associations, civic organizations, and private enterprises are all party to a systemic search for opportunities that will stimulate economic recovery and promote economic growth and development in the region. In this search, all types of regional assets and resources -- human, natural, physical, cultural and historic -- are being studied and evaluated for the possibilities they might hold. It is in this context that the Greenway Conservancy for the Hudson River Valley sponsored this Regional Tourism Strategy.

Tourism development holds special promise in a region such as the Hudson River Valley. The Valley is particularly rich in touristic assets; starting with the river and the magnificent landscapes created by it; and including the many settlements on its banks and the rural farms and villages of its countryside. The region's strategic location in the northeast, and its exceptional signature asset, the Hudson River itself, has given rise to many important historic events, sites and trends; as well as significant commercial enterprise and cultural traditions that have shaped our national character and spirit.

In this exceptional setting, travel and tourism has naturally grown and flourished over the years, and as an industry, currently has a substantial impact on the Valley's economy. Nearly 90,000 direct jobs are supported in the 10-county region. In addition, other jobs are created in the industries that support travel and tourism through the purchase of goods and services. The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that the effect of tourist expenditures on a local economy can be significant, with each 100 tourists per day on an annual basis supporting 140 new households, 7 retail outlets and 11 new industry-related jobs. In addition, increases in personal income and tax receipts are significant. Efforts to increase the number of visitors to the region -- as well as extend the length of stay of current visitors to the region -- can have large direct economic impacts.

Tourism development can help develop the regional economy while at the same time preserving and protecting the very qualities and characteristics that make the Hudson River Valley so special. Indeed, the strategy outlined in this report is meant to facilitate the continued development of the travel and tourism industry in the Hudson River Valley in the context of the region's historic and natural environment. In the final analysis, the strategy is a means for shaping an economy in the Valley that provides economic well-being and quality-of-life for residents and visitors alike.

The study to establish a comprehensive and coordinated regional tourism strategy for the Hudson River Valley was initiated in 1994 by the Greenway Conservancy for the Hudson River Valley, Inc. with the participation of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Heritage Areas (formerly Urban Cultural Park) Program. The Conservancy sponsored the study as a response to its legislative mandate to promote the Greenway as a single tourism destination. The Heritage Areas Program's motivation was to expand the role of the state's Urban Cultural Parks in tourism development for the communities in which they are situated (four UCP's are located in the Hudson River Valley).

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The region addressed by the study is the Hudson River Valley Greenway (see Figure 1), defined by legislation as the 140 mile corridor encompassing ten counties along the Hudson River, from Westchester and Rockland in the south; through Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, Ulster, Columbia and Greene in the mid-Hudson region; to Albany and Rensselaer in the north. This study region is contiguous with the region defined as the Hudson River Valley Greenway, and excludes areas within the boundary of the Catskill Park.

Funding for the study was provided through a grant under the Regional Economic Development Partnership Program of the New York State Department of Economic Development, Urban Development Corporation (UDC). The UDC grant was supplemented by funds from the Greenway and the Heritage Areas Program, as well as in-kind staff support provided by the region's tourism promotion agencies. The Greenway appointed a public-private steering committee to guide the study effort, under the general aegis of the Greenway's Transportation and Tourism Committee. Burt Woolf, President of QL CONSULTING INC and Tom Martin, Principal of The Office of Thomas J. Martin were selected to conduct the study.

As shown in Figure 2, the study was initiated in mid September 1994 and continued through the summer of 1995. The study process began with a series of goal setting sessions with the staffs of the Greenway and the Heritage Areas Program, and with the study Steering Committee. Baseline data was gathered from within the region and state, and from other comparable regions throughout the country. Numerous one-on-one interviews and small group discussions were convened throughout the region to identify and prioritize opportunities, challenges and trends.

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Beginning in December 1994 and continuing through June 1995, the consultants presented their growing and evolving set of findings and observations at several major regional convenings. In addition, the consultants facilitated participatory work sessions with the region's leading tourism and community economic development stakeholders,

culminating in a "summit meeting" for the region's leading tourism stakeholders.

The consultants' scope of work for the regional study also included the preparation of a community tourism planning process was implemented and documented. While not directly a part of the regional tourism strategy, the community tourism planning model effort undertaken in Kingston was a

parallel process that provided a number of insights which are included in the regional findings presented in this Volume, as well as in a separate report provided directly to the community.

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The Regional Tourism Strategy described in this document gives focus and proposes a direction for tourism development in the Hudson River Valley. The strategy recommends ways by which the Hudson Valley can become a more significant tourism destination.

The strategy and the study that created it have three stylistic characteristics that are important considerations in understanding the strategy itself.

Capacity-Building Objective. It was a particularly important consideration of the Conservancy that the Regional Tourism Strategy lead immediately into an implementation phase. At the same time, it was acknowledged that the key players in the region's tourism system had limited experience working together toward a common set of goals and objectives. Therefore, a major intention of the study process was to engage the full range of stakeholders (tourism professionals, the media, state and local public agencies, elected officials, business and industry, cultural and heritage attractions, farmers, environmental groups, outdoor recreation interests, etc.) in such a way that they would develop resourceful and productive relationships with one another.

Interactive and Participatory. To achieve the capacity building objective of the study, the Regional Tourism Strategy by design was generated as a collaborative effort of the consultants and the region's leading tourism and community development stakeholders. Several hundred individuals were involved in the process.

Much of the strategy development occurred in participatory work sessions facilitated by the consultants, where groups of tourism industry representatives and other stakeholding interests came together to develop solutions to pressing issues and problems. Major sessions were convened with the Boards of Directors of the Greenway Conservancy and Communities Council, with the region's leading heritage sites, and with the region's tourism leaders, commercial interests, and public officials. The consultants provided findings, observations and trends analysis, and then facilitated the response from participants at the sessions.

Systemic Approach. As Figure 3 shows, the Regional Tourism Strategy views the tourism industry as a system of related community and economic development activities that taken together, enables people from places outside of the region, to visit the region for one or more overnights. A tourism destination is successful when all the components of the tourism system are functioning in a state of equilibrium (congruence) in relationship to one another, and when the system as a whole is growing.

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As a result of this approach, significant study outputs occurred during the process itself. Many strategic recommendations were developed during the facilitated work sessions, and new action-oriented relationships were created. As such, the implementation of a number of the regional tourism strategies described in this final report were already underway, even before the report was written!

Volume I of this report (findings and recommendations) thus is an overview and snapshot of what occurred during the study process, and a summary of the ideas and strategies that emerged. This document highlights what was learned and what is recommended at this point in time for the Regional Tourism Strategy for the Hudson River Valley. The traditional hard copy report that typifies tourism development studies -- baseline data and trends analysis, slide presentations of findings, and written summaries of meetings are found in Volume II: Reference Materials.

The travel and tourism business in the Hudson River Valley counties is already a major industry, employing 89,109 persons annually. Until the early 1990's, this was a consistently growing part of the economy, as illustrated by employment data in Figure 4. Much of this industry (such as hotels and restaurants), however, is oriented to the business traveler. These travelers are much less likely to patronize local attractions. Studies conducted for the State of New York, however, indicate that only about 21 percent of visits to the State are for business, with 79 percent being leisure visits. Of the leisure trips, over one-third are vacations, and an additional one-third are trips to visit friends and relatives. The great majority of recreational trips into the Hudson River Valley are thought to be day trips, and the State surveys confirm that much travel to the State originates in nearby metropolitan areas and in New York State itself. Eighty-five percent of travel to the State comes from ten states, as shown in Figure 5. Day trips by their very nature create far less direct economic impacts to the local economy than do overnight visits, so one important component of a tourism strategy is to increase the number of overnight stays in the region.

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Visitors come into an area for a variety of reasons, but the primary reasons relate to the ability to experience the "place" and visit local attractions. These attractions may include man-made facilities as well as natural sites. They may also include destination resorts, specialty retail and restaurants and the possibility to do something unique, such as

take a boat ride. The Hudson River Valley has a large array of facilities and natural attractions to interest visitors, particularly in the area of historic homes and attractions.

There are over 50 historic attractions, 15 major retail centers, 20 wineries, 36 museums and cultural attractions, and four state urban cultural parks. In addition there are numerous state parks and recreation areas. The predominant visitor attractions, however, are the heritage and historic sites. Data in Figure 6 shows the attendance distribution of the historic attractions in the Hudson River Valley.

The Hudson River Valley is a mature and large marketplace, with a local population base of 2.6 million residents. Within a day's drive of the Hudson River Valley, there are an additional 26.6 million residents. The Valley is anchored on the north by the Albany metro area and on the south by the New York City metro area. New York City is also a major gateway for international visitors, with over 6 million such visitors annually. There are large and diverse nearby markets from which to draw visitors to the Hudson River Valley.

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While the markets are large, there is also significant competition for visitation. The Hudson Valley is surrounded by other, often better-defined areas such as New York City, the Adirondacks, Berkshires, Catskills, Poconos, and other visitor destination areas.

Unlike other comparable areas, however, such as the James River Corridor in Virginia, the Hudson River Valley lacks major destination resorts and attractions (such as Williamsburg) to orient and hold the visitor for a longer visit. The Hudson River Valley also lacks the visitor services infrastructure (such as the Visitor Center in Charleston, South Carolina) to help visitors to orient themselves and make a visit a more seamless experience.

The visitor services system in a tourism destination area provides the visitor with the resources necessary to enjoy a satisfying overall "visitor experience". It is this system that encourages extended and repeat visits, by providing more to see and do (attractions scale, mass, variety and quality), as well as amenities that will make a longer stay pleasant (hospitality facilities, positive interactions with tourism workers); convenient (access to sites and facilities; complete and accurate information services); and appropriately affordable (mix of price points). These and related tourism development issues are addressed in the next sections of this report.

The findings of the Regional Tourism Strategy are based on several conditions that currently prevail in the Hudson River Valley:

Economic change. For many years, the economic base of the Hudson Valley has relied upon the substantial and dominant presence of IBM, especially from the mid-Hudson region to the south. Indeed, the economic vitality and spirit of the region was intimately associated with "Big Blue". However, in the wake of the global economic downturn of the late 1980's - early 1990's, IBM followed the corporate trend of restructuring, downswing, outsourcing, selling off divisions, and closing plants. As a result, the Hudson Valley has been particularly hard hit by the general economic downturn, and the region's economic picture has become uncertain.

Changes in state government. The November 1994 state elections had a direct impact on the regional tourism strategy study. Several months elapsed during the heart of the study research period while leadership personnel m the New York State executive administration and legislative branches settled into their new positions. Notwithstanding this extended post-election transition, the assumption that guided the state agency input throughout the study was that the new administration in Albany was interested in seeing greater self-sufficiency and entrepreneurial initiative from both the private sector (commercial and nonprofit) as well as from its own departments.

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Resurgence of economic development planning. The effects of political and economic change have been manifested in a dramatic resurgence of economic development planning within the region, at municipal, county, sub-regional (multi-county) and regional levels -- in both public and private sectors. At every jurisdictional level, efforts are currently underway to identify appropriate and effective economic development strategies and initiatives. Task forces, forums, working groups, and studies abound in the Hudson Valley, all asking the question: "What can we do to address the economic well-being of the Valley". Specific economic development actions are being targeted for detailed study and discussion. Tourism development is one of the primary opportunity targets.

The following sections describe the current state of the six components of the tourism system that are addressed in the Regional Tourism Strategy: Infrastructure and Access, Promotion and Marketing, Attractions Development, Hospitality, Tourism Workforce Development and Stewardship.

Accessibility of the region. The transportation system in the Hudson River Valley provides excellent access in virtually all directions, via every major transportation mode: highways (Interstates, parkways, county and local roads) bridges (from the Tappan Zee, through the five mid-Hudson bridges of the NY State Bridge Authority, to the 1-90 Bridge in Albany), River and waterway traffic (Ferries, Cruises, Private Boats, accessway to Canalways, etc.). Amtrak runs frequent train service from New York City to Albany, and Metro North maintains commuter rail service to Poughkeepsie. Major airports and air service accommodate travelers at Albany, Newburgh and Westchester County (the New York City airports are also near enough by). Increasingly, intermodal linkages (i.e. rail-to-bus, water-to-bus) are being provided to expedite travel patterns.

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Aging infrastructure. It was reported that the region's infrastructure -- its physical fabric -- is aging and deteriorating. Deferred maintenance of roads, water treatment facilities, public recreation areas, and historic sites threatens the capacity of these resources to handle additional load. Deteriorated infrastructure drains public financial resources that cannot be otherwise invested in new public facilities and capital intensive public projects. Ultimately, an aging infrastructure increases the cost (expense) of tourism, both for the traveler and for the community / region being visited.

Signage. Directional / locational signage is part of the infrastructure system. While signage in some Valley counties and communities is of high quality, the region as a whole lacks an effective, unified signage and information infrastructure. Signage indicating the direction to, and locations of communities is sparse. Tour loops beyond county lines do not exist. In general the region's signage is not coordinated, inconsistent in design, and variable in quality.

Effects of economic opportunism. Economic opportunism and its effect on the region's infrastructure is characterized by the development of land without consideration to setting. A clear example of this in the Hudson Valley is the stretch of Route 9 from Fishkill through Wappingers Falls to Poughkeepsie. Here, the "experience of the Hudson Valley" has been lost to large national retail operations, a five lane roadway with frequent curb-cuts, and strip malls with large, tree-less parking lots. In pockets throughout the Valley, unprotected scenic landscapes and viewsheds are succumbing to economic development that is eroding the fabric and character that is unique to the Hudson Valley.

Riverfront urban nodes in distress. Throughout the Hudson River Valley, the settlements along the river, especially the larger urban nodes, have experienced a deterioration of their economic and physical fabric. The river's prior industrial uses have left many riverfront "brownfields". As a consequence, investment demand from the private sector along the river does not appear to be strong at this time. On the public sector side, recent development initiatives and grants (e.g. the Newburgh-Kingston Enterprise Zone) are designed to reverse the downward development cycle of the last several years.

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New or alternative infrastructure systems. It is encouraging to note the several public and quasi-public initiatives to establish new and creative alternatives to traditional infrastructure development. The Greenway Trail, the State Canalways, the Hudson River bikeway, landscape / viewshed preservation efforts, and the reemerging Federal-State-Local Scenic Byways program, all suggest infrastructure development for tourism that will sustain the existing character of the Hudson River Valley.

Lack of a unified articulated regional identity. Given its spectacular visual landscapes, its majestic river, and its special and unique history and culture, getting an experiential handle on the character and identity of the Hudson River Valley is not very difficult. The problem is that the identity of the region has been articulated in so many different and disparate ways. Here, there, everywhere one finds the "Hudson River Valley" used as a descriptive phrase with multiple definitions and perceptions. In short, there is no articulated identity that captures the region as a unified destination.

The region is surrounded by more clearly identified, larger-scale destination areas. Compounding the identity crisis of the region, is the presence of extremely well articulated destinations in the immediate (i.e. abutting) proximity: Adirondacks, Catskills, Berkshires, and New York City / Long Island. Competitively speaking, Mystic Connecticut, Vermont, Cape Cod, and Down East Maine are not that far away (see Figure 7).

Multiple and competing channels of access to promotional materials (from the visitor demand-side). Visitors looking to find out about the valley have many channels to access information: the state, each of the ten county Tourism Promotion Agencies, the Thruway Visitor Information Centers, the four urban cultural park visitor centers, other local visitor centers and kiosks, and brochure racks at hotels and restaurants. Information is available, but the dispersed channels prohibit a simple and clear pathway for visitors to make decisions about coming to, or staying for more than a day visit in the valley.

Variability of county-by-county efforts/themes. The County Tourism Promotion Agencies (TPA) are the primary [quasi-] public sector producers of promotional materials for the region. Each county has its own organizational structure, funding procedure, and administrative mechanism, and all participate in the I LOVE NY matching funds program. Because each TPA operates as a discrete and independent entity, there is little consistency across the region in the output quality and capacities of the TPA'S. To overcome this variability, "Hudson Valley Tourism" is an ad hoc collaborative of the region's TPA'S. Using state matching funds, and allocations from the counties, this group meets regularly, advocates for greater tourism support, and, as funds are available, places paid advertising, and publishes a travel guide for the region.

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Multiple and competing public and private media channels. There are many sources of information available for tourists to find out about the touristic resources of the Hudson Valley. Public sector tourism agencies (state, county and local) produce travel brochures, flyers and other informative publications that are distributed (usually at no charge) to the visitor. Private publishers, including local news media, produce a variety of periodicals and guides on a free or subscription basis. Until recently, but for the overlap of information, there was little sense of competition between the public and private tourism information publishers. However, now that public sector publishers have increasingly added paid [display] advertising in their brochures, these public and private channels have begun to compete fiercely for the media buys of tourism enterprises (many of whom are small operations with little or no advertising budget).

Quality of interpretation is variable. "Interpretation" is the way in which the assets and distinguishing features of a destination area are described and explained to the visitor. Interpretation is a function of content (what information is presented), as well as style (how information is presented). Interpretation can be found in signs, exhibits, brochures, and even personal conversations. In the Hudson Valley, there is no unified or coordinated overall interpretative approach for the visitor to learn about the region. Regional theme(s) to attract specific markets have not been articulated. The Hudson Valley landscapes and viewsheds -- some of the region's most attractive touristic resources -- are under-interpreted. Interpretation of the region's many historic sites and natural wonders is varied in consistency and quality. Published regional interpretive maps and materials are weak or nonexistent. As previously mentioned, signage in the Hudson Valley is not used effectively as a medium for interpretation.

Lack of coordinated regional information/interpretive facilities. One important aspect of destination marketing, is the provision of attractive and effective information facilities that "intercept" visitors at high-traffic approaches to the area. Even though visitor information facilities are located throughout the Hudson Valley (see next paragraph), the overall "visitor intercept system" in the region is limited and not coordinated. Without a clear and obvious "starting point" where they can be guided in their [potential] stay in the region, visitors are unclear where (or why) to begin their visit, and they are unclear where (or why) to go next in the Hudson Valley.

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Multiple jurisdictions over information facilities and information distribution. The New York State Thruway Authority, the County TPA'S, local Urban Cultural Parks and business associations, the State Tourism Office and Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation, nonprofit organizations and local volunteer groups are each and all involved in managing visitor information facilities. There is no consensus as to the effectiveness of regional fulfillment mechanisms in processing out-of-region requests for information. There is no regional coordination of this aspect of tourism development in the Hudson River Valley.

No unified regional market/marketing strategy. With so many entities and jurisdictions involved in the tourism promotion and marketing aspect of the region's tourism system, it is no wonder that a unified regional promotion and marketing strategy has never been established. Without a clear market and thematic focus, it will be difficult to establish a unity of purpose between and among the region's public, quasi-public, and private sector promotion entities. In the end, the destination visitor is hurt the most.

Mix and mass. Attractions are a primary product offering of any destination tourism area. Successful destinations tend to have two attractions characteristics: a quantity of attraction(s) (mass) sufficiently large to draw substantial visitation to the area, and variety of attraction(s) (mix). In this context, it is an important finding that the Hudson River Valley lacks a single major (i.e. multi-day) destination attraction. While a variety of historic sites and outdoor recreation attractions predominate, none stand alone as large enough to support substantial multi-day visitation to the region. As well, most of the major historic sites in the region are owned and managed by public sector (e.g. local,state and federal) agencies, resulting in several impacts further described in the following pages.

In general, the region's attractions are dispersed throughout the Greenway, with concentrations in Westchester County, West Point-Newburgh, Hyde Park-Kingston, and the Capital Region. In general, the region's attractions have not yet been organized into a unified "critical mass"; there are few examples of cross-selling and cross-packaging between and among them.

Visitation. Most visitation in the region is site-specific. As well, day-tripping predominates in visitor patterns. Follow-on opportunities, that would make a compelling reason to stay additional days are not apparent, nor made known, to the one-day visitor.

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Stability. From a management point of view, the region's attractions are not perceived to be stable. This is most true for the public sites, whose budgets, staffing and hours of operation have been curtailed by state and federal agency cuts. Deferred maintenance is a universal problem for public and private attractions. Closings for repairs and curtailed operations are already threatening the overall capacity of tourism for the Hudson Valley.

No regional development strategy. In general, there is no attractions development strategy for the region. With no unified forum for collaboration through which such a strategy can be developed, it is unlikely that the region's attractions can build "critical mass" on an individual basis.

Mix and mass. Accommodations in the Hudson Valley are distributed throughout the region, with concentrations of facilities in several communities along the river. There is a diverse mix of accommodations, with most larger properties primarily serving the business traveler. There are many Bed and Breakfast facilities, but they do not appear to be coalesced into a unified accommodations product. There is no resort property immediately on the Hudson River.

The impact of the Culinary Institute of America is felt region-wide: the restaurant base in the region tends to be of very high quality, at all price levels, and styles.

Property ownership. It appears that ownership of hospitality facilities varies, with both local and outside ownership present. However, except for some of the chain/franchise properties, ownership is local, and resources for expansion and improvement are often limited.

No region-wide forum for cooperation/collaboration. The nature of the hospitality industry is such that few forums are available in the Hudson Valley region for owners and managers of accommodations, restaurants and other visitor amenity facilities to discuss and address their common problems. However, a number of leading personalities in the hospitality industry do participate in more general community and economic development forums, where the needs and concerns of the industry are included. Nonetheless, there is no regional strategy for hospitality development currently present in the Hudson Valley.

Size. The tourism workforce is comprised of the many individuals employed by the variety of enterprises that comprise the tourism industry: hospitality, visitor information services, promotion and marketing, attractions, infrastructure development, etc. Currently, nearly 90,000 workers are employed by the travel and tourism industry in the region.

Importance. For regions where destination tourism is a primary economic development focus, a high-quality workforce to serve visitors is essential. This applies as much to entry level hourly employees as to salaried executives. Indeed, the more front-line the worker (front desk clerk, gas station attendant, housekeeping staff, police officer, etc.), the more likely the interaction and potential influence on visitors and their visitation decisions.

Training and development opportunities. While there is a substantial tourism workforce population in the Hudson Valley, very little attention and focus is given to the development of this most important segment of the tourism system. Few training opportunities are available (the Culinary Institute, Community College courses, the Dutchess County TPA's training program), and the industry itself has not initiated any programs in this area.

Definition. "Stewardship" of tourism includes the functions of monitoring the various components of the tourism system and facilitating collaborative action between and among those components. Stewardship implies a nurturing and facilitative leadership role, so that the elements that comprise the tourism industry operate efficiently, smoothly and in balance with one another.

Governmental Agencies. Stewardship of tourism in the Hudson River Valley is currently caught in a web of public jurisdictions. This web is made up several state agencies, each with a different management structure for the region, and each with its own set of purposes, goals, and funding criteria: Economic Development, Tourism, Transportation; Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, and Envirorunental Conservation (see Figure 8).

Quasi-Public and Private Sector. Within the region itself, a variety of stewardship-type entities have recently emerged: Hudson Valley Tourism (the collaboration of the region's County TPA's), the State Tourism Division's Regional Office (now closed); The Hudson River Valley Greenway Communities Council and Conservancy; Mid-Hudson Pattern for Progress (several major forums convened); Hudson Valley Coordinating Council, etc. etc. While for the most part, these organizations view each other as colleagues, there is no shared common understanding as to their respective roles and responsibilities for stewardship of tourism in the Hudson River Valley.

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In the.final analysis, tourism has become a "hot" community and economic development issue for the Hudson River Valley in the mid-1990's. Efforts that have been exclusively public or all private have not succeeded. As well, no clear and obvious regional public-private partnership mechanism for stewardship of tourism has emerged.

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After reviewing all findings from field research, interviews, and interactive work sessions, it is clear that the tourism system of the Hudson River Valley needs to focus on a unifying element that every aspect of the tourism system can tie into. In the final analysis, it is the mighty Hudson River itself, that presents that unifying opportunity. Indeed, the River appears to be the common thread that ties the entire region together. The river is the underlying reason for virtually every one of the Valley's greatest destination attractions: the landscapes and viewsheds, the history (military, political, and economic), the commerce, and the culture. In short, the Hudson River is the Valley's "signature asset".

For the Hudson River itself to be the region's unifying element for destination tourism requires a new set of fundamental distinctions between the river itself (on the water), at the river's edge, in immediate proximity to the riverbank, and in the countryside (in the Greenway region, but away from the river). Additionally, new approaches and connections must be made from bank-to-bank across the river. As shown in Figure 9, these various distinctions play into a set of strategic possibilities for each component of tourism product: attractions, promotion, hospitality, and infrastructure.

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The following strategic recommendations reflect the Hudson River theme, and suggest an overall motivating force and direction for tourism development in the Hudson Valley.

Revitalize the River itself. Develop waterborne traffic opportunities; increase the number and quality of access and service points to the river; assure waterfront intermodal connectivity so that waterborne visitors can access riverfront and country side assets, and land-side visitors can get onto the river; continue to improve water quality, and preserve and protect the river's natural ecology, while at the same time providing greater opportunity for direct human interaction with the river itself.

Focus on riverfront settlements. Work toward preserving and improving the physical, historic and cultural fabric of the cities and villages on the banks of the Hudson.

Focus on riverfront tourism product. Identify existing resources and assets and potential new opportunities for developing attractions and hospitality related facilities on or near the river.

Focus on River-related infrastructure development. Develop and expand opportunities for access to and from the river, including scenic by-ways and alternative infrastructure modes (e.g. trails). Implement a unified regional signage program with clear and distinctive river imagery.

Focus promotions on the River. Develop a regional marketing strategy using the river as the thematic focus. Develop sub-themes connecting the river to specific market orientations (history, commerce, military, landscapes, culture, etc.).

Connect the River and surrounding countryside. Identify and develop creative links -- conceptual, physical, and programmatic -- between the river and nearby rural landscapes and communities. Integrate tourism into the work of the Greenway Communities Council to develop a regional, and sub-regional comprehensive master plans. Encourage coordinated planning between riverside and countryside, as well as cross-river jurisdictions, and agritourism enterprise.

Develop regional tourism support strategies. Develop a regional stewardship capability that addresses tourism policy development, research, planning, and advocacy. Establish new public-private partnerships that build rapport and mutual appreciation of purpose within the industry and between the industry and other related aspects of community and economic development. Establish the framework for productive and resourceful relationships within the web of stewardship. Convene and facilitate forums for cooperation and collaboration that create a mood of possibility and opportunity; that shape a consensus vision and a cohesive action plan: developing tactical plans, assigning responsibility for action, creating initial successes), and striving for long term results.

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The following strategic actions will apply the overall regional strategies to specific project and policy areas.

Hudson River Valley Advisory Council on Tourism (ACT). The Hudson River Valley lacks a stewardship mechanism -- a vehicle by which private and public tourism-related interests within the region can work on comprehensive (system-wide) solutions to region-wide tourism issues and challenges. The creation of a public-private organization, called Hudson River Valley Advisory Council on Tourism (ACT) would address this major tourism development gap.

ACT should be a broad-based organization, representing the primary tourism stakeholding interests in the region: tourism enterprises from all aspects of the tourism system (attractions, promotion, media, infrastructure, hospitality etc.), as well as key state agencies. The mandate of ACT should start with two major objectives:

* establishing itself as the appropriate regional stewardship mechanism for addressing the region's most pressing tourism development concerns (see Figure 10); and

* create by consensus, a regional marketing and promotion master plan for the Hudson River Valley (see Figure 11).

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Hudson River Valley Landmarks Alliance (HRVLA). The forums for the region's historic sites that were convened in 1994 and 1995 should be transformed into a formal mechanism that could be called the Hudson River Valley Landmarks Alliance. The overall purpose of HRVLA would be to enhance the quality and expand the capacity of the region's historic sites , vis-a-vis their visitation, financial stability, management effectiveness, interpretation and curation of collections, and physical plant. Figure 12 shows selected strategic issues that would particularly address destination tourism development in the Hudson Valley.

Entrepreneurship Training Workshops. The dominance of public agency management and ownership of historic and recreational attractions poses a major challenge for destination tourism in the Hudson River Valley. Historically, publicly owned sites have relied on annual agency budget allocations for operating resources, maintenance expenses, and capital needs. In the recent past, and into the foreseeable future, annual budget allocations have destabilized and, in general, diminished. Public destination sites have, and will increasingly face budget cutbacks in all operational and development areas: personnel, programming, facility upkeep and improvements.

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Reduced reliance on annual public budgets will necessitate a corresponding increase in entrepreneurship on the part of regional and local site managers and their front-line staffs. Closer ties to the community, creative approaches to alternative revenue-generating sources, more attention to bottom-line considerations, and a customer-service orientation will, by necessity, characterize the site managers of the future. The need for greater entrepreneurship also exits among the staff of private nonprofit sites.

It is recommended that an "Entrepreneurship Training Workshop" program be established for regional and local managers of historic and recreational sites. The workshop would entail a full evening-and-a-day of time for up to 25-30 participants -- top-level administrators of public and private recreational and heritage attractions. The workshops would cover presentations and discussions of:

* the definition of "entrepreneurship" in thecontext of public agencies and nonprofit organizations;

* the practical aspects of entrepreneurship: market/customer orientation, community and visitor relations, alternative [earned and contributed] revenue-generating strategies, entrepreneurial programming, etc.; and

* ways that staff can address and overcome the barriers (real and perceived) that keep them from operating as entrepreneurs.

The workshop would culminate with the participants developing site- or region-specific "Entrepreneurship Plans" that would be the basis for further review and approval at all levels within their agencies and organizations. Following a given workshop, the sites, through their public agency channels or their private boards of directors, would convert the workshop plans into action plans, with supervisory approvals as necessary.

Regional Tourism Awareness Program for Residents. One of the recurring observations made during the period of study for this tourism strategy, was the degree to which the resident population of the Hudson Valley does not appreciate the Valley (i.e. its character and assets) as having what it takes to be a viable contemporary destination tourism region. Clearly, the Hudson Valley was very much a destination well into the early 20th century. More recently, however, economic, social and cultural circumstances, driven by the rise of the technology industries, made tourism a secondary force. Now, with recent and current economic changes, tourism has resurfaced as an economic development strategy, but few residents can remember "the old days", and many haven't very much of an idea how tourism plays into the Valley's future.

For these reasons, a strategy should be implemented that reinforces resident perceptions of the Valley as a tourist destination. Such a program should focus the attention of residents on the region's attractions, ambiance, landscapes and viewsheds; its cultural treasures, vibrant history, and diverse cultural traditions; and the built environment of its urban settlements and rural villages.

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In Kingston, New York, a Tourism Steering Committee has established a resident awareness and education program for local tourism development. Called Company' s Coming!, the program will encourage merchants, the local media, and the citizens of Kingston to learn more about the local tourist industry. The program will also offer and accept assistance in helping the community build a strong, balanced and growing tourism system. By mid-1995, Kingston's Company's Coming! program had already sent information to local merchants as to how they might distribute attractions brochures, and be more aware of and helpful to tourist consumers. Another idea planned for the program is a local familiarization ("fam") tour, where citizens of the area can tour in Kingston and learn about the attractions, hospitality, cultural and heritage sites, etc. as if they were visitors from out of town. The Kingston Company's Coming! program should be monitored as a potential model that could be replicated region-wide in the Hudson River Valley.

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Partnering with the Greenway Communities Council. The Hudson River Valley Greenway Communities Council ("Greenway Council") is the sister agency of the Greenway Conservancy. Its statutory mission (mandated by the New York State Legislature), is to develop a regional plan for the entire Greenway region -- a plan that is derived from locally-developed sub-regional plans. The "Greenway Criteria" that guide the Council in its work run parallel to the impacts anticipated by the Regional Tourism Strategy (see Figure 13).

During the latter half of 1995 and into the first part of 1996, the Greenway Council will be implementing a voluntary planning process for the regional Greenway Compact. Concurrently, the Council will be initiating a "partnership" process that will provide the opportunity for stakeholders from many different interests to comment on issues relating to the Greenway criteria.

It is crucial that the goals, objectives and strategies of tourism be incorporated in the regional planning process. The aspects of the Hudson River Valley that are important to public elected officials and planners, are also vital to tourism development and vice versa. This is a symbiotic and holistic relationship that should be nurtured for mutual benefit of the entire region.

Comprehensive Landscape Interpretation Efforts. The valley landscape is the most visible and spectacular destination attraction created by the Hudson River. It is therefore essential that this touristic asset be interpreted to encourage increased levels and styles of tourism in a manner that is appropriate to the sustenance of the landscape itself. For the purposes of this study, the term "landscape interpretation" is used very broadly, and encompasses a host of important strategic issues that must be addressed as part of a regional tourism strategy:

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• Signage that is clear, consistent and regional, encompassing all sign types (see Figure 14).
• Interpretive, directional and educational materials (annotated maps, books, brochures, presentations, etc.) to enhance the visitor experience of landscapes and viewsheds.
• Guided touring experiences for visitors traveling by foot, auto, bicycle or water.
• Active involvement of tourism development considerations in the implementation of the regional scenic byways program.
• Integration of the region's leading environmental and land preservation/conservation organizations in assuring increased visitation opportunities that do not threaten fragile resources.
• Involvement of the agricultural industry to include farms and farmlands in the landscape equation.
  

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Agritourism. Visitation to farms and farm-related activities and enterprises is growing dramatically in the Hudson River Valley. Retail farming is increasingly being considered as an appropriate contemporary approach to the preservation of the small family farm. In general, farmers' markets in urban communities and farm stands in the rural countryside are proving to be financially successful. As such, the agricultural industry contributes significantly not only to the economic well-being of farm families and the communities they live in, but also to the region's tourism system.

There is no active forum in the Hudson River Valley whereby issues of Agritourism can be addressed. Stewardship and promotion of agriculture and related markets in the Hudson Valley is a mandated role of the Greenway Conservancy; it would be an important aspect of its work in this arena, for the Conservancy to use tourism as a topical focus, to bring farming interests in the region to the table in order to discuss ways that tourism can support ongoing efforts to keep the family farm a viable and sustaining enterprise in the Hudson Valley.

Visitor Information Centers. For reasons described earlier in this report, a significant finding of this study is that the existing visitor information facilities in the Hudson River Valley are not working in a coordinated way, and do not do an effective job in bringing tourists into the Valley.

All great destination regions have a coordinated set of facilities to help inform, guide, and facilitate extended and repeat visitation. The modern visitor center is a mini-attraction unto itself, providing state of the art interpretive exhibits that whet the appetite of the would-be visitor to get out into the region and stay a while. Effective visitor centers are open at hours that are convenient and appropriate for travelers, and staffed by helpful, friendly and competent people. They are equipped to help visitors book accommodations, find the right places to eat, and purchase tickets to popular area attractions. A creatively programmed and entrepreneurially administered visitor center can be financially self-sufficient.

A visitor information center (or a coordinated set of related visitor centers) should be part of the Regional Tourism Strategy for the Hudson Valley, and one or more studies should be conducted to address this issue. The study(ies) should analyze the circumstances under which such a facility would be self-sustaining. If such research shows feasibility, the region's public officials might be more inclined to commit new public sector investment in such facilities.

The Role of Heritage Areas. The New York State Heritage Areas program in the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) is responsible for monitoring and developing a state-wide System of Urban Cultural Parks (UCP). Four UCP's are located in the Hudson River Valley (Ossining, Kingston, Albany, Hudson-Mohawk). As previously described, Kingston, New York was selected as the community in which to conduct a model tourism planning process. The UCP in Kingston (staff, board, and facilities) played a focal role in conducting the planning model. As such, much was learned about the way in which UCP's might operate as stewards of local tourism development.

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While it was not the primary purpose of the Regional Tourism Strategy to articulate a role for local UCP's in the region's tourism development, it is nonetheless important to note that the UCP's in the Hudson Valley are located in important local and sub-regional heritage tourism areas. Furthermore, their mandated role on behalf of the communities in which they operate includes a significant tourism component.

In that their purposes and intents intersect with local tourism development, UCP's tend to be tactically involved with virtually every aspect of tourism - from events management, to visitor information distribution, to attractions development and heritage interpretation. The UCP's expedite, facilitate, support, and complement local tourism development initiatives. As such, they are active players in local tourism efforts, but at this point in time, they are not positioned to be the exclusive lead tourism development stewardship agencies in their respective communities.

As relatively new quasi-public community institutions, the UCP's currently do not have deep roots into the financial, civic and cultural fabrics of their communities. Stronger threads into community fabric will come through new and practical approaches by which heritage development is more closely linked to local economic and community development. In this context, the UCP's in the Hudson Valley would likely benefit from the entrepreneurship workshop program that is proposed as a component of this Regional Tourism Strategy.

Potentially, the UCP's in the Hudson Valley could play an important and growing regional tourism development role as sub-regional providers of visitor services. The ability of the UCP's to meet this challenging opportunity will, in good measure, depend on the continuing efforts of the New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation, whose Heritage Areas program supports UCP development statewide. The Heritage Areas program and several local UCPs are currently focusing on the practical opportunities that tourism presents in fulfilling the economic, educational, recreational and preservation goals under which the UCP's now operate. This work should continue, and appropriate adjustments in the UCP system should be implemented.

No strategy can be complete without a sense of how the financial resources necessary for implementation can be secured, and in what sequence and over what time frame strategic objectives should be undertaken. Unlike project-specific planning studies, where the exact nature and magnitude of the project is understood, a regional strategy is general, and the financial resources for its support and the steps to its implementation are by no means exact. Nonetheless, there are several points that relate to these two important planning issues.


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First, while the cast of characters in this strategy is varied, and the issues that must be addressed are numerous and complex, the regional strategy as presented in this report provides explicit direction and focus for next-phase attention. The convenings that need to take place are clear (Advisory Council on Tourism, Landmarks Alliance, etc.), and the issues that need to be addressed by these forums have been described. The forums themselves now need to be convened, in order to hone in on the opportunities and to turn them into specific actions, with associated budgets, time frames, roles and responsibilities.

Second, as previously noted, a number of ideas that surfaced during the study process, were actually made into action initiatives, even before the study concluded; the Company's Coming! program in Kingston is a good example. Sometimes, sequenced plans of action can be put aside in favor of immediate implementation and experimentation on the part of a motivated sponsor.

Third, as for financial resources, increases in public dollars dedicated exclusively and specifically to tourism development will have to be hard fought. In part, this is because tourism funding continues to be [erroneously] viewed by many public agencies as an expense relating only to marketing, promotion, and sales. Indeed, if local, state and federal agencies were to recognize the positive impacts that tourism makes on the many economic activities described in this report, then increased dedicated funding for each aspect of tourism development might be more forthcoming.

Such a major change in perception will require that the stewards of the Regional Tourism Strategy for the Hudson Valley keep a creative and watchful eye on potential sources of funds that would fit the tourism model, but which might not be called "tourism" funding. Scenic by-ways and transportation initiatives, economic development grants, comprehensive planning efforts, and environmental protection, are all areas that have associated funding for which tourism development could be a significant beneficiary.

This Regional Tourism Strategy has outlined a partnership system for stewardship of tourism development in the Hudson River Valley. The strategy would partner the region's most active tourism industry interests (i.e. the County TPA'S, attractions, media, etc.), the private business sector, and public agencies and officials, into a unified force for monitoring and developing the region's overall tourism system.

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The question remains: who stewards the stewardship? Which agency should initiate the facilitative leadership role that is necessary to bring the varied interests of tourism together and achieve consensus for unified action between and among them. Who will spearhead the special studies, policymaking initiatives, and unique proposals for tourism development that will surface, but are not the responsibility of any single organization?

A joint session of the Boards of the Greenway Council and the Greenway Conservancy was convened in April 1995 to address these questions. In small group discussions, members of these boards generally agreed that the type and style of leadership required to help steward tourism would appropriately fall to the Greenway Conservancy. The staff and board of the Conservancy have reported these deliberations into the field, and have received confirmation from the tourism interests of the Valley that leading a collaborative of tourism interests, is, indeed, an appropriate role for the Greenway. It is therefore recommended that the Greenway Conservancy for the Hudson River Valley use this Regional Tourism Strategy report as a source book for further specific action for tourism development of the Hudson River Valley.

The Hudson River Valley is a large region comprised of many assets that have great touristic potential. The region sits just. a short drive north of the massive metro New YorkCity market, which itself is an international tourist Mecca. The region's "signature" asset - the mighty Hudson River has created unique natural landscapes, has influenced a consistent type of settlement along its banks, and has shaped a history that has been integral to our national legacy.

This Regional Tourism Strategy study was not intended simply to identify why, with all that it has going for it, the Hudson River Valley has not evolved until now as a major multi-day destination area. Rather, the task was to present factual quantitative data and expert qualitative observations in order to stimulate resourceful and productive conversations among the region's leading community and economic development stakeholders. This combination of data-driven diagnostics and capacity-building interactions enabled a complex, multi-faceted Regional Tourism Strategy to emerge. This strategy articulates a form and focus for tourism development, and sets the stages for the key players to initiate further specific conversations for action. The challenge now returns to the hands of those individuals, organizations and agencies whose purposes are intended to support responsible and appropriate tourism development in the Hudson Valley. The region's tourism industry has talent, energy, and the will to flourish.

The Regional Tourism Study provides the data, observations, themes, and recommendations by which the region's policy makers and implementers can find common ground for action. This report and its associated reference materials will provide an ongoing dynamic resource to assist in shaping a healthy tourism system in the Hudson River Valley that attracts increasing numbers of visitors, and provides a high quality experience for visitors and residents alike.