Pulling Together To Bring In More Tourists
Bob Murdock of Destination Worcester said association meetings are popular events for the city’s tourism industry.
When it comes to tourism in Worcester, no one is under any illusions that it’s in the same league as major cities like Boston. But officials and those involved in the city’s tourism industry say Worcester has a unique draw that causes visitors to come in from New England and beyond.
Donna McCabe, president of the Central Massachusetts Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the range of offerings in Worcester, combined with its lower price points and its location as the center of Massachusetts and New England, are positives.
“Recently, you have the (weak) economy … People will still travel, but they travel closer to home and they look at value, and this area is all about value,” she said.
McCabe said most visitors to Central Massachusetts come from around the Bay State, as well as from Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania and California. And, most often, they’re here for family vacations, short weekend getaways or cultural and heritage trips.
McCabe said tourism in the area is hard to track, but she said admissions at Central Massachusetts attractions were up in 2011 over the previous year. She said some of Worcester’s biggest attractions for tourists are the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, EcoTarium, Higgins Armory Museum, Worcester Art Museum and the DCU Center.
Making It Happen
The DCU is the top attraction in Central Massachusetts, reporting an attendance of 500,000 for 2011. Some events at the DCU have been brought in thanks in part to the efforts of Destination Worcester, an initiative launched by City Manager Michael V. O’Brien in 2007. It works with other organizations to bring events in that can boost the local economy and get exposure for the city.
“Destination Worcester has had a huge impact on the sports tournaments that we’ve been able to bring in,” said Sandy Dunn, the DCU Center’s general manager. The biggest events were the 2010 USA Gymnastics Tyson American Cup and the 2011 USA Gymnastics Level 9 Eastern Championships. Destination Worcester also helped secure an annual commitment of the Special Olympics of Massachusetts Winter Games and the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo, among other events.
Events that have already taken place at the DCU Center this year include the 2012 Fed Cup, featuring Venus and Serena Williams, the U.S. Synchronized Skating National Championship, and the NCAA Hockey Division-I Men’s Regional Championship, which saw attendance numbers of about 5,700, 11,000 and 17,500, respectively. The three events had a projected economic impact in the area of $2.6 million, according to Bob Murdock at Destination Worcester.
Murdock, who is director of sales and the only employee of Destination Worcester, is expecting this year’s budget to be significantly smaller than last year’s $500,000, since two positions were eliminated. But his job, facilitating events, remains the same.
Upcoming events in the city this summer facilitated by Destination Worcester include the Eastern Regional Little League Softball Tournament, the 2012 USRowing Masters National Rowing Championship on Lake Quinsigamond and the Longsjo Classic, an annual bicycle race that will go through Worcester, Fitchburg, Leominster and Princeton.
In addition to bringing events to the arena, Destination Worcester also has helped arrange events at DCU’s convention center, which brings people who are staying overnight more often than a concert or show does.
Murdock said association meetings are popular events for Worcester and that, in many cases, when groups are coming to the city, he’s asked to round up a list of area attractions they might like to attend.
For DCU’s part, the venue is in phase two of a three-phase renovation process, making improvements to the main concourse along Foster Street, adding a glass facade along the southern end of the facility, widening the building by 20 feet, and adding restrooms and concessions.
Dunn said the center focuses on customer service and helping guests get the most out of their Worcester experience.
Just Passing Through?
Once visitors make it to Worcester, they’re likely to come back, McCabe said. She said the city is a hub and spoke for tour groups that might stop for a night or two because they would go through Worcester to get across the state. And it’s a less-than-two-hour drive to Boston, Providence, Sturbridge, Cape Cod and other popular destinations.
Though Worcester tourism advocates say there’s plenty to do, it seems visitors aren’t likely to come to the city solely because of one attraction, but more likely for an underlying purpose such as a college visit, convention, or part of a broader trip to Massachusetts.
Tina Sullivan, owner of Sullivan Travel in Worcester, said Worcester has a lot of attractions, such as the theaters, museums, festivals and vast restaurant choices that make the city fare well against others, but said those are unlikely to result in someone staying overnight.
She thinks tourism in the city would benefit from more public transportation.
“If you have people that are coming here for a meeting or something from Boston to Worcester and they take the train in, they’re kind of like, ‘How do we get around?’ once they get off the train,” she said.
Sullivan also said a central location for the city, like perhaps CitySquare, would be helpful, as would more retail shops.
“Small independently owned stores that offer unique products are a great way to get people to come,” she said.
Dunn said she hears the same opinion from visitors she does business with at the DCU.
“What we would probably like to see is more visitor kind of retail in the downtown area,” she said. “Convention delegates come and they want to do touristy-type shopping.” n
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