Erie Ambassador Program: Session 9 – Tourism

As cold as it was in January for our first session in the Erie Ambassador program’s Spring 2014 course, the temperature climbed to the opposite end of the thermometer for the last. Erie reached a high of 88 degrees yesterday as we gathered at Boston’s restaurant to hear about tourism in Erie County. We learned that our hometown is gaining recognition in the travel industry, not just in summer, but year round.

The speakers for the evening were John Oliver, president/CEO of VisitErie and Nick Scott, Jr., vice-president of Scott Enterprises.

VisitErie: Leader of Marketing and Economic Development for Tourism

Erie County tourism looks a lot different today than it did a decade ago, says John Oliver of VisitErie, which represents travel-related businesses in Erie County. The not-for-profit, neutral, and independent organization operates on a budget of around $2 million and receives its funding from grants, memberships, and the hotel-occupancy tax, from which it receives 3% of the 7% current rate. The Erie County Convention Center Authority (ECCCA) claims the rest.

Some of the ways VisitErie serves the county are through advertising, creating visitor guides, and acting as a resource for entities interested in holding their events, such as tradeshows, in the area. In addition, it holds contests, offers familiarization tours for travel agents and writers, and studies tourism trends in the area. VisitErie also created a sub-group called the Erie Sports Commission, which works to attract tournaments to Erie, assisting planners with finding volunteers and working with public entities for permits, etc.

Oliver also presented some interesting facts and figures, such as, in 2001, tourism brought $463 million into the area, and in 2012, that figure totaled around a billion dollars. In terms of tax revenue, $96 million was collected in 2001, and in 2011, that figure had climbed to $167 million. When it comes to jobs, about 11,000 people were employed in Erie’s leisure and hospitality industry in 2001, and in 2011, that figure had grown to around 16,000. Of course, the employment numbers fluctuate with the seasons.

A valuable new offering from VisitErie is the Hello Erie free smartphone app, with features called Eat, Stay, Play, and Events. Users can find special offers and discounts for restaurants, hotels, and attractions in the Erie area. It also provides turn-by-turn directions for each location.

According to Oliver, a recent conversion study revealed that 60% of visitors to Erie are repeat visitors, 60% of those who request information on Erie make a visit, 91% rate their experience as good or excellent, and 98% of visitors say they plan to return. He urged the Ambassadors to suggest Erie as a location for their professional associations’ future events.

Scott Enterprises Aims to Provide Memorable Experiences

In 1916, 13-year-old Christ Skountzos said goodbye to his parents in Garglianos, Greece and boarded a ship bound for America. His mission was to find opportunity and send money home to his family. He didn’t see his parents again for 35 years.

The plan was for Christ to learn the confection trade from Erie’s Pulakos family, but Christ decided to strike out on his own. Having changed his surname to Chris Scott, he went into the restaurant/hotel business, and built the Niagara Motel at the foot of State Street and Scott’s Motel at the entrance to Presque Isle.

Christ’s son, Nick, an only child, joined the family business upon his graduation from Cornell and started building Arby’s and Bonanza restaurants. Those interests have since been sold, and Scott Enterprises today owns 28 different properties and employs 2,400 team members. In 2011, the company was awarded Employer of the Year from the Erie County Economic Development Corporation.

Identifying opportunities and not being afraid to act on them seem to be key factors of the company’s success. For example, more than a decade ago, Nick Scott, Sr., and his wife, Kim, were in Wisconsin when Nick saw a billboard advertising a water park four hours away. Intrigued, he canceled their return plane reservations. Mr. and Mrs. Scott drove to see the water park, and he was so impressed that in 2003, the Scotts opened Splash Lagoon, which is now one of the largest indoor water parks in the nation. Now at 100,000 square feet, after several additions, the complex welcomes three million visitors every year. The $11.5 million wave pool features a glass wall that can be pushed outward for the next addition, saving on construction costs. In summer 2014, a three-story-high Tree Tops Rope Course will open. Scott Enterprises also owns a number of hotels in close proximity to Splash Lagoon, creating package-deal opportunities for visitors.

The latest major project for Scott Enterprises was the acquisition of the Peek’n Peak golf, spa, and ski resort in nearby Clymer, NY. Once a premier destination, the resort was in bankruptcy and disrepair when Scott Enterprises took it over. Stripping the guest rooms down to studs, they put $2 million into the renovation of those rooms. The entire resort renovation topped off at $6 million, including new ski equipment, golf carts, and Segways. Dual ziplines are planned for summer 2014.

When asked by one of the Erie Ambassadors for advice to those interested in starting their own businesses, Nick Scott, Jr. listed the following:

1. You will always be under-capitalized.
2. Projects will always cost more than you thought they would.
3. You must have good people.
4. Don’t be afraid to fail.

Nick Scott, Jr. admits that the company has made plenty of mistakes, resulting in a fair number of failures, but they’ve obviously done most things right.

That was a recap of the final Erie Ambassador session. In a couple of weeks, we will graduate and become full-fledged Erie Ambassadors. I would highly recommend the program to anyone (new to the area or lifetime residents), who would like to know more about what makes Erie great. We certainly live in the Gem City.

Here are more posts on the Erie Ambassador spring 2014 sessions:

Erie Ambassador Program – Spring 2014 Sessions

Ann Silverthorn (Twitter: @annsilverthorn)  is a versatile blogger who’s written about a wide variety of topics in a vast number of genres. She’s a proven writer on technology topics, in addition to travel, creative, and grant writing. Ann is currently working on a biography on the life of William E. Dimorier (1871-1951), the nearly forgotten poet and assistant principal of Academy High School in Erie, PA, who dedicated his life to the betterment of young people. Dimorier’s story will demonstrate how this man of humble beginnings positively influenced many lives around the world.