Action Plan: Visiting

Purpose

To understand the needs of visitors to Downtown and enhance their experience and encourage increased visits and economic spin-off.

Context

One of Downtown’s greatest strengths is its ability to attract residents and visitors to events, entertainment venues, sporting events, and restaurants and bars.Approximately 7 million trips are made into Downtown annually for this purpose. Also important to Downtown but not as well understood are business travelers, conventioneers, jurors, and heritage and cultural tourists. Some of these visitors share similar needs, others are very different.

Along with different types of visitors there are several different entertainment districts that Downtown has to offer. These districts include the Theatre District, Chippewa Street, the Sports District, and Waterfront District.There are also Downtown-wide attractions including cultural and architectural destinations. Each of these districts has different types of amenities and visitors.

Although there is this existing base of entertainment to draw visitors there are still many problems to overcome. One difficulty is the lack of coordination between and within these districts. Each area is thought to be exclusive and has a difficult time drawing visitors to multiple locations. There is also a perceived lack of amenities for certain demographic groups within and between districts. Several high-profile projects will significantly impact the Downtown visitor market. These include the Erie Canal Harbor and Waterfront Entertainment District, the decision regarding the convention center and the possibility of a gaming facility.

Entertainment and visiting Downtown is not only an amenity, it’s an engine for economic growth. This potential for growth in employment and investment needs to be well planned and coordinated.

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