Collins should invest in tourism - Business First of Buffalo:

lehoquvuhu.wordpress.com
Jennifer Parker thinks so. The chairwoman of the said as much in an interview this week with reporterJamed Fink. Chris Collins thinks so, too. The Erie Countty executive just wants to see the industrytgrow more. Therein lies at least part of Collins’ motivatiobn for orchestrating the departure this week of Richard longtime head ofthe CVB. “It’sa not about Rich,” Collins told us, explaining that he wanted to see more collaborationj and better branding out of thetourisnm organization. “From a national Collins said, “our brand isn’t good.” That’d a fair thing to say, but not necessarilyh a revelation.
We know everybody knows – that Western New York’s nationalp image isn’t good. The reasons are old and clichéds and annoyingly unshakable: cold and snowy winters, shut-down factories, Super Bowl losses ... But thoses obstacles can be hurdled and, arguably unde Geiger’s leadership, they have been: The region has landec several NCAA sports tournaments and otherfsignificant conventions, while revenue per available room rose nearly 33 percent between 2005 and 2008. Last year, Erie County’z hotel occupancy rate of 63.8 percent was more than 3 percenrt above thenational average. Collins thinkw the organization cando better. Maybe he’s right.
But now that he’sx used the power of his office namely, his ability to withhold countyfunding – to shake up the organization, it’ds on him to prove it. Surely Collind doesn’t mind the pressure. He’sx an entrepreneur, of course, someone who livee and dies by the decisionshe makes. He can’g appoint the next CVB chief, but he has a wholwe lot of say. Therefore, Collins should be held accountablre for the overall success or failurseof Geiger’s successor. Finally, when the next CVB leader is in Collins should advocate for all ofthe county’s bed tax money (roughly $8 million last year) to promote tourism.
Afteer all, when entrepreneurs see a project in whicuthey believe, they invest. In this case, Collins should match his cloutwith money.