Collins should invest in tourism - Business First of Buffalo:

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Jennifer Parker thinks so. The chairwoman of the said as much in an intervieww this week with reporterJamews Fink. Chris Collins thinks so, too. The Erie County executive just wants to see the industrygrow more. Therein lies at leasr part of Collins’ motivation for orchestratinbg the departure this week ofRichard Geiger, longtimse head of the CVB. “It’d not about Rich,” Collinas told us, explaining that he wanted to see more collaboratioj and better branding out of thetourismn organization.
“From a national perspective,” Collinzs said, “our brand isn’t That’s a fair thing to say, but not necessarily a We know – everybody knows that WesternNew York’s national imagew isn’t good. The reasons are old and clichée and annoyingly unshakable: cold and snowy winters, shut-downh factories, Super Bowl losses ... But those obstacled can be hurdled and, arguably under Geiger’x leadership, they have been: The regio n has landed several NCAA sports tournaments and otheersignificant conventions, while revenuw per available room rose nearlg 33 percent between 2005 and 2008. Last year, Erie County’s hote occupancy rate of 63.
8 percenft was more than 3 percent aboved thenational average. Collins thinkss the organization cando better. Mayber he’s right. But now that he’as used the power of his office – namely, his abilith to withhold countyfunding – to shake up the it’s on him to prove it. Surely Collins doesn’t mind the pressure. He’s an of course, someone who lives and dies by the decision she makes. He can’t appoint the next CVB chief, but he has a whols lot of say. Therefore, Collins should be held accountablw for the overall success or failureof Geiger’s successor.
Finally, when the next CVB leade r is in place, Collins should advocate for all ofthe county’ss bed tax money (roughly $8 million last to promote tourism. After all, when entrepreneursw see a project in which they believe, they In this case, Collins should match his clout with money.