CONNECTICUT COMMISSION ON CULTURE & TOURISM PREDICTS A BUSY SUMMER TOURISM SEASON
Late Spring and Early Summer Numbers Indicate a Successful Season

Attractions and Hotels Throughout the State Experiencing Increase in Business with Warm Weather

HARTFORD, Conn. (July 23, 2007) –Though tourism business in Connecticut had a slow start this spring, the Commission on Culture & Tourism (CCT) and tourism industry members across the state predict a strong summer, based on late spring and early summer numbers. Record-breaking visitation to the state tourism Web site in June, rising gate numbers at attractions, increased hotel occupancy, warm weather and an enhanced marketing and advertising campaign that reflects current travel trends all point to increased business for the season.

“Connecticut is staying ahead of the curve in an exceedingly competitive travel market and we are making positive strides toward increasing our $9 billion tourism industry,” said Governor M. Jodi Rell. “Our state has a wide variety of historical, cultural, entertainment and natural attractions that offer opportunities for great short visits or wonderful longer vacations.”

“Overall, the outlook for tourism in Connecticut this summer is good,” said Karen Senich, acting executive director of the Commission on Culture & Tourism. “Summer is always Connecticut’s busiest tourism season. In addition to the many wonderful experiences Connecticut offers, our enhanced marketing and advertising campaign addresses the needs of our target market, as well as top travel trends. We believe tourism business will continue to increase as a result.”

Attendance at major attractions in Connecticut increased steadily throughout spring. Gate numbers were up 4.52 percent in April compared to April 2006 and up 9.85 percent in May compared to May 2006. Representatives at many attractions reported significant increases in visitor numbers once temperatures began to rise in May.

“Visitation at the park is significantly up this year,” said Tracey Blackman, director of marketing at Lake Compounce Family Theme Park in Bristol. “We attribute our success this season to the growing popularity of Lake Compounce, as well as the terrific weather since we opened on May 12. Each year, we also continue to see more and more young families visiting from the surrounding states, as they realize the park is just a short drive away.”

“March and April were slow, but May and June visitor numbers have been close to record-breaking,” said Gregg Dancho, zoo director at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport. “We are up 35 percent this year, an increase we attribute to the beautiful weather, our marketing efforts and several new exhibits.”

State beach attendance is also expected to reach a peak, as annual visitor numbers have grown steadily in the past four years. According to the Department of Environmental Protection, four of the state’s beaches experienced visitor increases from 2003 to 2006. Hammonasset State Park experienced an increase of 1.3 percent (1.6 million to 1.8 million); Sherwood Island’s visitor numbers grew 1.7 percent (439,900 to 513,363); Rocky Neck State Park’s numbers increased by 0.06 percent (421,467 to 445,296); and Silver Sands State Park experienced a 0.5 percent growth (132,050 to 199,150).

Smith Travel Research reports occupancy rates remained flat throughout the spring, but hotel and inn owners report increased – if not full – bookings throughout the summer. Occupancy rates were up 1.4 percent in April compared to April 2006 but were down 0.3 percent in May compared to May 2006 and were down 1.8 percent year to date through May.

These numbers reflect those of New England and the United States in general. Massachusetts was also down 1.8 percent year to date through May, and New England's overall occupancy rates are down by 0.5 percent for 2007. Occupancy nationwide was down 0.6 percent January through April.

“The spring was a slow time throughout New England, but bookings for the summer months have increased. We’re ahead of last year,” said Jasmine Parekh, regional director of sales for the Waterford Hotel Group. “People are looking for value and booking more packages this year. We collaborated with local attractions, such as Mystic Seaport and Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration, to create all-inclusive packages to meet their needs.”

Connecticut’s tourism Web site, CTvisit.com, experienced record-breaking traffic in June. Visitor numbers were up 29.3 percent compared to June 2006 (197,300 to 255,085), and page views increased by 21 percent compared to June 2006 (998,633 to 1,208,264). “Visits to CTvisit.com reached an all-time high in June, since we started tracking traffic to the site in 1999,” said Senich. “We usually see the most Web site traffic in July, but every piece of our advertising and online marketing campaign this year points consumers to the Web site, because research shows people rely heavily on the Internet when planning travel.”

In May, the Commission announced an enhanced advertising and marketing campaign that reflects consumers’ desires, as well as current travel trends, to attract more people to the state. The recently enhanced campaign’s tagline, “Closer Than You Think,” speaks to consumers’ needs for easily accessible, short getaways of two nights or less*. Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell/Yankelovich found in 2005 that almost half of all Americans suffer from “time poverty,” the sense that people do not have enough time to do what they want. Expedia 2005 research also revealed that Americans with an average of 12 vacation days per year leave a total of 421 million vacation days unused.

To make fast getaway planning easier for its target audience, the Commission worked with the five tourism regions to place weekly ads in the Friday “Escapes” section of the New York Times. The ads, which run May through July, feature packages that offer overnight or two-night accommodations, meals and entertainment for one discounted price to satisfy consumers’ desire for value.

In addition, the campaign’s target demographic of women ages 35 to 54 as primary travel planners in the metro New York market with an average household income of $80,000+ mirrors the population segment that travels the most. According to the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), baby boomers continue to dominate the travel market, because they are more affluent, less sensitive to prices and have more time to travel.

Connecticut’s tourism campaign also caters to family travel, named by 79 percent of American Express travel agents polled as one of the most significant trends in travel this year. Ads promoting family activities, events or packages appear in the New York Times’ Friday “Escapes” section through July, Yankee Magazine in May, AAA Traveler and AAA Car & Travel in May and June, Better Homes & Gardens and Ladies’ Home Journal April through July and in Travel + Leisure in April and June. In addition, radio ads on the metro New York market’s top six stations position Connecticut as a fun, nearby escape that offers opportunities for family fun and highlight upcoming family events. These 60-second ads run for six weeks, May through July.

One factor that could slow travel this season is the recent increase in gas prices, but the Commission believes travelers will not be swayed from visiting Connecticut, despite the national average price of $3.05 per gallon.

“Getaway travel is no longer considered a luxury but a necessity for time-starved, overworked consumers,” said Senich. “Higher gas prices have historically worked in the state’s favor. Travelers in our target market opt for shorter drives and decide to visit Connecticut rather than a northern New England state or more distant destination.”

The discount packages that appear in the Friday issues of the New York Times, as well as on CTvisit.com and in CCT’s monthly consumer e-newsletter, counteract the effects of high gas prices on visitors’ wallets.

For complete information about summer activities and Connecticut’s 52 Getaways, country inns, B&Bs and other places to stay, please call 1-888-CTvisit (1-888-288-4748) or log on to www.CTvisit.com. Connecticut offers visitors a multi-faceted wealth of attractions, historical, cultural and recreational activities, diverse and beautiful natural landscapes, parks, beaches and wilderness sure to fulfill any getaway need.

About the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism
The Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism brings together tourism, film, history and the arts. Its mission is to preserve and promote Connecticut’s cultural and tourism assets in order to enhance the quality of life and economic vitality of the state. The Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism is located at One Financial Plaza, 755 Main Street, Hartford, Connecticut. For more information, log on to www.cultureandtourism.org.

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* TIA Travelscope

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