NORWICH – One arm that promotes tourism in New York has considerably less money to grant Chenango County this year while another arm has asked for more.
The amount of ‘I Love New York’ funds, granted annually for Chenango County’s festivals, events and other tourism-related activities, has been chopped by more than half. Tourism Director Audrey Robinson told members of the Chenango County Planning & Economic Development Committee last week that the amount, just $27,300, must be shared among approximately 20 entities.
What’s more, a portion of ‘I Love New York’ funds must also be applied to afford the county’s membership in the Central Leatherstocking Region, an amount that has increased by 6 percent this year. The organization produces region-specific marketing campaigns for Chenango and seven surrounding counties.
“That leaves me with less than $20,000 for the county,” Robinson said.
State funds decreased this year because the program’s qualifications have become more stringent and because fewer local tourism groups have been able to afford the 100 percent match that is required in order to receive them.
About $15,000 remains to be matched from last season’s allotment of $65,000.
Robinson said she applied for only $45,000 this year because fewer groups made the 100 percent match. “We’ve struggled to spend the entire amount. Instead of asking for extensions on spending the money, we asked for less,” she said.
Her request was cut back even further, however, because it was unexpectedly pro-rated according to all of New York state, she said.
The Northeast Classic Car Museum, Chenango County’s most successful tourism draw, has used the matching funds program in the past to afford printing and distribution of promotional materials. Director Kay Zaia said the museum was awarded $6,000 on average per year since 2004, but wouldn’t be applying for any this year.
“There’s nothing that we really qualify for anymore,” she said. The organization could feel the cut-back when it prints new brochures as scheduled in 2009.
Robinson said the rules changed last January when the state’s new administration began to scrutinize the way ‘I Love New York’ matching funds were being used. The program’s new rules require that materials carry specific state and county logos and website information.
“The program is supposed to complement the county’s yearly tourism budget, and not meant to promote individual properties,” Robins said. “The new guidelines are more lenient with festivals and events than individual tourism properties because they know it does bring people in from outside the county.”
“It appears that this administration isn’t as focused on ‘I Love New York’,” said Planning and Economic Development Committee Chairperson Linda E. Natoli, R-City of Norwich. Committee member Jack Cook, R-Greene, said, “It sounds like she (Robinson) needs more money.”
Chenango Bluesfest President Eric Larsen said he didn’t yet know how the cut-back would affect his organization’s advertising budget, but it would exclude “a lot of good, local projects.”
“It’s a wonderful program, but you have to have the money to invest. There are a lot of rules and guidelines to make sure the matching funds are spent wisely. This is fine, but they also need to take into account what works on a local level. We don’t have a lot of money to make the match,” he said.
During the committee’s meeting Jan. 30, Robinson reported 2007 tourism activities on behalf of the county. She said advertisements were purchased in a handful of travel and tourism publications, including an ad for the Chenango County Sportsman Federation of rod and gun clubs. Members of the federation appeared before a meeting of the Planning & Economic Development Committee last year to request funding and programming assistance.
The tourism director also assisted marketing efforts on behalf the Earlville Opera House, the Chenango County Council of the Arts, the Chenango River Theater and Colorscape Chenango. A three-year old website was updated in August.
In order to coordinate the matching funds program and other tourism activities, periodic networking meetings for those involved in tourism are held at Commerce Chenango’s offices in the Eaton Center. Agenda subjects have included: hotel occupancy tax research, co-op advertising, satellite tourism centers, event information gathering and coordination, tourism communication methods, and motor coach tours.
Robinson said members of the networking committee who met at the Chamber Wednesday were “obviously concerned” about the lack of funding available.