Dr. Ann Davis, Director
Marist College Bureau of Economic Research
Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
May 5, 2004
Introduction by Barnabas McHenry
For the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area
May, 2004
Some notes regarding matters arboreal, lavatorial and editorial as perceived by Heritage Visitors to the Hudson River Valley.
Dr. Ann Davis' Report of Interviews at Heritage Sites in the Hudson River Valley, Summer and Fall, 2002 was commissioned and paid for by The Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area and is successor to her June 1997 study Impact of Visitors to Historic Sites in the Hudson River Valley also prepared by the Bureau of Economic Research of Marist College. The interviews took place at 38 sites which are approximately half of the Heritage Sites in the valley as listed on our new website www.hudsonrivervalley.com. These 38 Heritage sites stretch north from Philipsburg Manor to Lindenwald, Martin Van Buren's home.
Did anything change materially since 1997? Well, yes the heritage visitors are a little older (46) and much richer (mean income of $91,004). Again ladies exceed gentlemen by at least 15%. These heritage tourists favor the same things as seven years before - clean toilets, leaf watching and special events.
In 1997 we were overflowing with optimism about the formula for horizontal and vertical economic effects and the promised bounty for the valley. Did it happen? Well, not yet. The 2003 season (most Heritage Sites open from April to December) was the worst on record. There were successes to be sure, like DIA where the new girl on the block predictably attracted admirers. The other 81 Heritage Sites suffered - and not from just envy - most sites were down about 12% in number of visitors.
What can we do? The Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area is the Greenway minus the western riverbank of the counties of Bronx and New York. The population is nearly three million and within 100-mile radius of the Hudson River there are at least 30 million residents. The Goliath of tourism, New York City, is the southern gateway to our Heritage Sites and tourism there is now just about equal to the pre-9/11 level.
On April 29th we launched our website www.hudsonrivervalley.com which we modestly predict will be the best regional website in America and shortly thereafter the indefatigable Colonel Johnson will promulgate the unigrid map/brochure of the Revolutionary Battle sites in the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area. With your assistance and effective regional promotion of the website and map/brochure and coordination among the Heritage Sites one can predict that the multitudinous blessings envisioned by Dr. Davis will transpire.
Barnabas McHenry
For the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area
May, 2004
The mission of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area is to recognize, preserve, protect and interpret the nationally significant cultural and natural resources of the Hudson River Valley for the benefit of the Nation.
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Barnabas McHenry Co-Chair Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area 633 Third Avenue New York, NY 10017 |
Kevin J. Plunkett Co-Chair Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area 50 Main Street, Suite 525 White Plains, NY 10606 |
Carmella R. Mantello, Director
Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area Program
Hudson River Valley Greenway
Capitol Building, Room 254
Albany, NY 12224
Phone: 518-473-3835
Fax: 518-473-4518
Email: hrvg@hudsongreenway.state.ny.us
http://www.hudsonrivervalley.com/
http://www.hudsongreenway.state.ny.us
Rosemary Keegan, Program Associate
Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area
4 Cannon Street
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Phone: 845-473-5199
Fax: 845-454-5437
Email: rkeegan@hvc.rr.com
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MID HUDSON
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UPPER HUDSON
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