What do Walt Disney World and the Platinum Mile along Interstate 287 have in common?
Obvious differences aside, both play a vital role in helping to drive their respective region”™s tourism industry.
What mega-amusement parks are to Orlando, office parks are to Westchester ”“ and since being named director of tourism for Westchester County last July, Natasha Caputo has acted accordingly.
Tourism is a $1.5 billion industry in Westchester, with an estimated seven in 10 visitors to the county coming for business rather than pleasure.
“That”™s new money coming into the economy,” Caputo said.
Over the past 12 months, she has sought to build partnerships with organizations ranging from Amtrak to individual hotels to various concert series, with the end goal of drawing more business travelers.
“The idea of partnering with the iconic events and institutions and the different areas that make up Westchester is so we can add more for that business traveler who may just be here for a meeting,” Caputo said, “so they can enjoy the great city of White Plains or a hike in one of our trails or the robust and vibrant arts and cultural community that”™s here.”
Complementing efforts at promoting the county”™s various attractions, Westchester County Tourism has established partnerships with Amtrak and the MTA Metro-North Railroad, in addition to working with the Westchester County Airport, as a means of increasing accessibility.
In addition to those new partnerships, Caputo said Westchester County Tourism is on the verge of announcing a new campaign and is also in the process of rebuilding its website to boost its marketing capabilities.
The results have been mixed so far.
Occupancy at county hotels is unchanged compared with this time last year, which Caputo said reflects a national economy that has yet to rebound.
“The good news is we didn”™t go down,” she said. “This is very reflective of the slowdown in the economy. We”™re not immune to what”™s going on around us.”
She said a number of local hotels and venues are currently undergoing or have recently completed renovations that will make them more competitive as venues for trade shows and larger gatherings.
However, regional officials have recently drawn attention to the lack of a major, modern event space in Westchester.
The county”™s largest venue, the Westchester County Center, was last renovated in 1988 and fits up to 4,500 people in its 26,000-square-foot main hall.
There likely isn”™t the demand or the financial resources for a larger facility or convention center in Westchester, Caputo said.
“We would welcome more convention space but”¦we are in the midst of a very volatile time in the economy,” she said.
Traditional trade shows and sporting events scheduled at the County Center this year are “on par” with previous years, said Peter Tartaglia, deputy commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation, which operates the facility.
The County Center will be slightly busier than last year due to performances by Disney”™s “Phineas and Ferb Live!” and a new concert series that recently featured the Beach Boys and includes future performances by Boston and the Edgar Winter Band, among others, Tartaglia said.
