Archive: Around Town

The Finger Lakes Beer Trail has made changes to its Passport program this year. Based upon feedback, they have decided to extend the duration of the program from just the Winter season to the entire 2016 calendar year.

Valid from January 1 – December 31, 2016, the Finger Lakes Beer Trail Passport is perfect for craft beer enthusiasts and tourists alike looking for a day trip or weekend getaway. Priced at only $20, the 2016 Passport includes over $475 worth of discounts on tasting fees, growler fills, merchandise, accommodations and transportation discounts, and much more at 52 breweries, brewpubs, tasting rooms, craft beer stores, and lodging establishments along the Finger Lakes Beer Trail.

"The Passport program encourages visitors to travel from one location to the next over the course of a day, a weekend, or even multiple day trips. At each location, visitors will present their Passport to receive that location's special offer or discount. And this year, the discounts go beyond just those offered by breweries and brewpubs," says Finger Lakes Beer Trail President and Founding Partner Theresa Hollister. "We've opened the program to hotel, motel, bed & breakfasts, beer stores, tap houses, and transportation companies, which enhances the overall value of the program."

While the aim of the Finger Lakes Beer Trail's Passport program is to increase awareness of the vibrant craft industry in the Finger Lakes and surrounding regions, it has become a proven example of local organizations working together to promote tourism and increase economic activity throughout the region. Last year's Passport program, for example, attracted tourists from as far away as Maine, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Maryland, and Florida over a 6-week time period, resulting in an estimated derived economic impact of $399,730 for the local economy.

"This year, with the expansion to a year-round program, we expect the 2016 Passport program to bring between 3,500 and 5,000 tourists and local residents alike through the doors of the breweries, brew pubs, and other businesses along the Finger Lakes Beer Trail," Hollister says. "The estimated derived economic impact on the local economy as a result of the 2016 program is anticipated to be $1.2 million."

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