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Are you a college-educated tourist between the ages of 25 and 54, from the Northeast, planning a vacation in a hotel or bed & breakfast, with an income of $50,000 or more, with an interest in Cornell, and who likes hiking the gorges and eating fine foods?  If so, you might be the perfect target for Tompkins County tourism businesses' marketing campaigns.  Business people gathered Tuesday at the Ithaca Holiday Inn Tuesday for the release of a new study that will help them target new business.

"What we have here is critical information that was sorely needed for many, many years," said Tompkins County Convention And Visitors Bureau Director Fred Bonn.  "It allows people to make the best business decisions possible.  Many of our partners here are looking at new projects, new expansions of existing properties, perhaps a new restaurant.  This information can be best utilized in the development of those business plans."


75% of visitors come to Tompkins County for leisure purposes, and 47% come for a university or college related purpose.  About 9% mix business and pleasure.  The top draws for tourists are the gorges and state parks, downtown Ithaca, and the diverse restaurants the county has to offer.  While different kinds of travelers preferred different destinations and activities, they all gravitate toward a common one.

"One thing was not different," said Chmura Economics & Analytics' Greg Chmura.  "That was the likelihood of visiting the Commons.  So the commons, in a sense, is aptly named, because it is as likely to be visited by a general traveler as someone who is a university traveler."

That prompted some discussion about how the data should be interpreted.  With stores on the Commons struggling, some wondered whether tourists are only interested in the Commons for its eateries.  But others saw the information as an opportunity to reach visitors who may come to eat, but then find other shopping opportunities.

College-related travelers are more likely to stay with family or friends who work or attend Cornell or Ithaca College.  The study also showed that 54% of visitors to TOmpkins County plan their trips on the Internet, with visitithaca.com, cornell.edu, and ithaca.edu the top three Web sites they use.  Printed materials only accounted for 8% by comparison.  The study tracked the number of visitors over the course of 2009, as well as activity on visitithaca.com and hotel volume.  The three were roughly aligned, with the peak season in July and August.

An average of 91% of visitors drive to Ithaca, with about 10% coming by air.  22% of visitors include Tompkins County with other destinations.  The top destinations that are combined with Ithaca include Syracuse, New York City, Niagara Falls, Boston, Rochester, and Watkins Glen.  The average visiting group includes about three people.  Each traveler averages about $265 over the course of their trip.  The highest spending is on food with an average of $92, followed by lodging, and shopping.  They only spend an average of $6 per trip on entertainment.  Cornell, the Commons, and local parks, waterfalls, and gorges are the top attractions, each attracting about 40% of visitors.  17% visited wineries, and 12% went to Ithaca College or Cayuga Lake.

Remarkably, 99% of visitors left feeling satisfied with their trip.  88% reported they were 'very satisfied, with another 11% 'somewhat satisfied.'

"In some cases it's very affirming," Bonn said.  "We know that we've got our core geographic target market.  It is going to allow our office to refine our strategies.  We'll reach a more targeted audience.  When we see an audience in an age category and an income level that is responding well to the Ithaca/Tompkins County product, that's where we know we can find additional customers just like them, and we stand a better likelihood of earning that customer's business than if we try to approach a new category."

The study was driven by the Client Committee of the Strategic Tourism Planning Board, which contracted the services of Chmura Economics & Analytics, a Virginia firm that specializes in customized studies, among other services.  Chmura presented the key results Tuesday, and business people got to take copies of the study with them.

Bonn says that the study is only the first step in tracking tourism here.  He said the Convention And Visitors Bureau will use the data to target markets and demographics most likely to visit the area.

"The important thing is that we have the baseline to operate from," he said.  "Then we have the commitment to revisit this study every three to five years.  Over the years economic activity information is going to be more valuable in future years.  The information that will assist us in our marketing strategy that will drive that increase in economic activity is most valuable right now.  In order to achieve maximum value and return on this, it will require additional studies."

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