This web-page was built to help seekers explore tourism grant opportunities.

When visitors stay in hotels or bed and breakfasts located within Tompkins County’s borders, they pay a room tax. Those funds are collected from the innkeepers by Tompkins County government, which has created the Tompkins County Tourism Program.

These grants are designed to generate more room tax dollars, align with the strategic tourism plan, and offer visitors experiences worth revisiting.

For a summary of grant programs and current timelines, check out these slides from the Tompkins County tourism grant workshop: WORKSHOP SUMMARY

**********************************************

February 3, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Tom Knipe, Senior Planner / Tourism Coordinator

607-274-5560, tknipe@tompkins-co.org

Tompkins County Tourism grant applications due February 29th

Does your organization have a project with strong potential to draw visitors from outside Tompkins County? Would more tourists come to your Tompkins County event or venue with an enhanced, targeted out-of-county marketing program? Do you host an event that celebrates local culture in ways that are informative, educational and fun? If your organization can answer ‘yes’ to any of these questions, consider applying for financial support from the Tompkins County Tourism Program! Applications for the following grant categories in the spring 2012 grant round will be due by 4 p.m., February 29 th, 2012 – Leap Day.

Community CelebrationsGrants– This grant program is designed to provide assistance to events, programs, or series of events endorsed by a municipality that are free and open to all, and are planned by community members as a benefit to the community. Maximum award: $2,000.

Tourism Marketing and Advertising Grants – These grants provide a dollar for dollar match for marketing and advertising expenses for campaigns that target potential tourists whose visit is likely to result in an overnight stay. Maximum award: $5,000.

Tourism Project Grants - This category supports tourism generating single projects that have been in active operation for at least 3 years at the date of application. Proposed projects must demonstrate strong likelihood of generating significant visitor attendance and participation and overnight stays in County hotels, motels and B&Bs. Maximum award: $25,000

New Tourism Initiative Grants - For events or projects that have occurred less than 3 years in a row and that flow from and are consistent with the County’s Strategic Tourism Plan. Maximum award: $25,000

Details and copies of current grant applications are available on this Tompkins County Tourism Program website (right hand side.) These grants are awarded by the Tompkins County Legislature and are funded entirely by County room occupancy tax dollars.

The overarching goals of the Tompkins County Tourism Program are to promote economic development and enhance quality of life for local residents. Tourism in Tompkins County generates more than $157 million in local economic activity and $11.2 million in local tax revenues, and accounts for 3,375 local jobs. For more information on tourism grants, the local tourism economy, and the Tompkins County Tourism Program, contact Tom Knipe, tknipe@tompkins-co.org, 607-274-5560.

END

***********************************************

Click here for invitation

Click here for background information for the Strategic Tourism Plan Workshop

December 22, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Tom Knipe, Senior Planner / Tourism Coordinator
607-274-5560, tknipe@tompkins-co.org

Strategic Tourism Planning Board to hold workshop for the
Tompkins County Strategic Tourism Plan

Organizations or individuals interested in participating in the development of the Tompkins County Strategic Tourism Plan for 2012–2020 are invited to attend a community workshop on Tuesday January 10th, 2011. The workshop will take place from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Tompkins County Library at 101 E. Green St., Ithaca, NY in the BorgWarner Community Meeting Room.

The workshop will be hosted by the Strategic Tourism Planning Board (STPB). The STPB is charged by the Tompkins County Legislature with providing oversight and strategic direction for tourism initiatives that promote economic development and enhance the quality of life in Tompkins County.

Workshops participants will have an opportunity to learn about the local tourism industry and use of local hotel occupancy tax funds, and to help answer these questions and more:

What would it look like to have vibrant winter tourism in Tompkins County?
What are the most promising opportunities to expand mid-week visits and overnight stays?
How can we further develop established types of tourism in the County?
How can we best use our community assets to grow emerging types of tourism?
How can we entice people who come for University or College-related visits to stay longer, spend more, and come back more often?
How can we capitalize on underutilized assets to expand tourism in the County?

The goal of this workshop will be to collect ideas to support the development of the strategic tourism plan for Tompkins County around the following focus areas: Tourism Marketing; Arts & Culture and Heritage Tourism; Adventure and Outdoor Tourism; Sports Tourism; Sustainability Tourism; Under-tapped Niche Markets; Festivals and Events; Beautification, Signage & Public Art; Downtown Ithaca and The Commons; Transportation and Tourism; Tourism Workforce Development; Lakes, Trails, Parks, Waterfalls and Gorges; Agricultural and Culinary Tourism; and Edutourism.

For more information, including links to the 2005-2010 Strategic Tourism Plan and 2010 Visitor Profile Study, scroll to the bottom of this page and click on the links.

*********************************************************************************

News Release

May 4, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Study Paints Detailed Picture of Tompkins Tourists

Ithaca, NY-- After two years of research, the Tompkins County Legislator's Strategic Tourism Planning Board and the Ithaca/Tompkins Convention and Visitors Bureau will unveil a report, May 4, documenting the motivations, spending habits and demographics of Tompkins County visitors.

The comprehensive research project used proprietary lodging data, public economic statistics, detailed surveys and hundreds of in-person interviews to create a statistically accurate profile of Tompkins visitors. The information is critical to the tourism community, local restaurant owners and specialty retailers who rely on visitors for a significant portion of their revenues.

Among the report's findings, the county attracted more than 840,000 visitors in 2009, generating $156 million in associated spending and supporting more than 2,300 jobs. Visitors spent an average $185 per person, per trip in 2009 with 35% of their spending going to food and drink, 28% to lodging and 25% to shopping. Visitors tend to be highly educated with high household incomes. Cornell, the county's gorges/waterfalls, the downtown Commons and the local dining scene are ranked as the top visitor attractions.

"This study validates many assumptions we've been making over the years and provides numbers to back them up," said Fred Bonn, director of the Ithaca/Tompkins visitors bureau. "You need hard data to make smart decisions and this report provides us real detail to move forward."

The comprehensive research project was commissioned by the county's Strategic Tourism Planning Board and funded by the county Tourism Program, with project management from the Ithaca/Tompkins CVB. Research firm Chmura Economics and Analytics conducted the study and authored the final report. The Chmura report is the first detailed look at Tompkins County visitors in almost a decade. The county last surveyed visitors in 2002.

The business community and interested members of the public are invited to attend the report release presentation, May 4, at the downtown Holiday Inn, 222 South Cayuga Street. Representatives from Chmura Economics and Analytics will outline the results, methodology and implications of the report. Event registration is free. Doors open at 8:30am. Program starts at 9:00.

Digital copies of the 135-page report will be distributed free of charge at the presentation, followed by an online release below. For information, contact Fred Bonn at the Visitors Bureau, (607) 272-1313, fred@visitithaca.com.

Click here for Executive Summary (8 pages)

Click here to read complete Study (135 pages)

Click here to view Chmura's May 4, 2010 Powerpoint Presentation