CONVENTION & VISITOR BUREAU BUDGETS:
BUZZING ABOUT
HOW WE STACK UP AGAINST THE COMPETITION An investment in destination marketing will help more potential visitors choose Buffalo Niagara over other communities. The bigger the marketing budget, the better we can compete with other similar-sized cities.
12.03
$
8.90
$
MILLION
9.44
$
MILLION
$
12.15 MILLION
MILLION
4.29
Buffalo is undergoing a once-in-a-lifetime transformation, but don’t take our word
TOURISM MATTERS
DESTINATION MARKETING: A CONNECTED ECOSYSTEM
Visitors Bring Economic Growth to Buffalo Niagara
for it. Here are some testimonials from the travel media who have visited in the last four years, building buzz about our resurgent destination.
Like many older American cities, Buffalo, which had early booms from various industries, including railways, shipyards and steel manufacturing, is shedding its rusty roots and experiencing a bona fide renaissance. No longer merely the portal to nearby Niagara Falls. BUFFALO IS A MODERN AND MULTIFACETED CITY, MORE THAN READY FOR ITS MOMENT.
7 Local businesses and the workforce thrive. Visitor spending increases, and the tourism industry expands.
enjoy their time here 5 Visitors and share their experience on
6
social media with other potential new visitors.
$
MILLION
Only knuckleheads – and the obstinately unenlightened –
CITY & COUNTY POPULATION
BUFFALO ERIE CO. NEW YORK
925,528
595,351
CINCINNATI 301,301
CLEVELAND 385,525
PITTSBURGH 302,407
MILWAUKEE CO. HAMILTON CO. CUYAHOGA CO. ALLEGHENY CO. WISCONSIN
952,085
OHIO
813,822
OHIO
1,248,514
PENNSYLVANIA
1,223,048
I loved Silo City, it was just
4 efforts generate 3 Marketing destination awareness.
one of the most extraordinary New marketing campaigns and outreach efforts begin.
places I’ve ever seen. I went back five times… it’s just a
2 creates destination 1 VBN marketing plan and budget.
special experience.
This former punchline in Upstate New York is enjoying a
enjoying a millennial-driven renaissance
with hip, affordable restaurants and bars materializing in converted turn-of-the-century buildings, especially in the Waterfront district.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT BUFFALO
For more information on the importance of travel and tourism to Buffalo Niagara’s economy, go to VisitBuffaloNiagara.com/about 403 Main Street » Suite 630 » Buffalo, New York 14203 716.852.0511 » 888.228.3369
VisitBuffaloNiagara.com
YOU WILL PARTY HARDER, EAT BETTER, AND MAKE MORE NEW FRIENDS IN A WEEKEND, ALL FOR LESS MONEY, THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN AMERICA.
In 2018, VBN marketing efforts resulted in 236 out-of-town media placements, 51 press visits and $7.1 million in ad equivalency value from out-of-town media coverage.* ERIC FRICK
258,612
MILWAUKEE
write off Buffalo, N.Y., as nothing more than a winter icebox and the birthplace of a certain sports-bar delicacy.
Visitors, convention attendees and amateur athletic spectators come to Buffalo Niagara year-round.
VisitBuffaloNiagara.com
* Visit Buffalo Niagara Annual Business Review
Visit Buffalo Niagara works to
GROW VISITOR SPENDING Buffalo has reached new heights as a visitor destination – adding dozens of new hotels, attractions restaurants and breweries – and Visit Buffalo Niagara has played an integral role in that growth. From booking hundreds of meetings, sporting events and group tours annually to generating international media coverage about the destination and enticing potential visitors through consumer marketing campaigns and social media, VBN has helped Buffalo’s tourism industry achieve record-setting success.
Tourism in Erie County is a more than
$1.8 BILLION INDUSTRY
spent across a diverse range of sectors.
321
$
MILLION
In 2018, Visit Buffalo Niagara generated $164 MILLION in future economic impact through conventions, amateur athletic events and grouptours.
IN LODGING
675
$
For every $1 invested, Visit Buffalo Niagara
MILLION
RETURNED $98.65 TO THE COMMUNITY*.
IN FOOD & BEVERAGE
98.65 TO $1
$
...and, a greater investment PHOTOS BY ERIC FRICK
225
$
equals a greater return. * Return on investment figures do not reflect leisure travelers
MILLION
IN TRANSPORTATION
188
$
MILLION
Tourism creates
THOUSANDS OF JOBS in Erie County.
358
TAX RELIEF
to every Erie County household.
In Erie County, tourism is the fifth largest industry, employing
32,657 people in tourism related jobs, a 10% increase since 2013 and representing 7% of all jobs in the county.* * U.S. Department of Labor, Quarterly Census of Employment, 2017, Erie County
IN RECREATION
$
Tourism provides
VISITOR SPENDING
https://labor.ny.gov/stats/ins.asp
MILLION
$221, 213,398
was generated in sales taxes paid by visitors in 2017, reducing the tax burden on every household in Erie County by nearly $600. ($578).*
IN ANNUAL TAX RELIEF
IN RETAIL & SERVICE
18
$
MILLION
IN SECOND HOMES
578
$
PER HOUSEHOLD
32,657 JOBS
Economic impact and spending data sourced from Economic Impact of Tourism in New York, 2017 Calendar Year, Greater Niagara Focus, by Tourism Economics
* Households are defined as all persons who occupy a housing unit as their usual place of residence. According to the US Census, there were 382,822 households in Erie County in 2012-2016. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/eriecountynewyork/PST045217