TravelMole Interview: Heather Weber, Communications and Public Relations Manager, Ithaca/Tompkins County

Winter may not really be hot in New York’s Finger Lakes region, but a new high-speed ferry connecting the area to Canada will heat up booking prospects for agents and tour operators. So says Heather Weber, Communications and Public Relations Manager, Ithaca/Tompkins County, who told TravelMole: “We’re trying to reach more individual travelers, but we’re also targeting travel agents and tour operators through our sales associates and cold calls and fam tours.” The entire area is gearing up for more travel business, including increased international visitors, that will be promoted in part by the Canadian American Transportation Systems 50-mile-an-hour ferry running from Toronto to Rochester starting 1 May. “It’ll have movie theaters and fine dining. We think it will promote tourism both in the US and Canada,” said Ms Weber. The ferry is being promoted as a super-fast, mini-cruise ship. It can hold 750 passengers and up to 220 cars. She said the entire upstate New York area is more aggressively promoting itself to tourists. For tour operators, she said, the Ithaca/Tompkins area is a logical stop to add for groups either going to Niagara Falls in the US or Toronto or somewhere else in Canada. Ithaca is a year-round destination, known for its golf in the summer, dining and skiing and other sports in the winter. It’s also known as home to Cornell University. The area has a “Winter is Hot” promotion through 1 March that offers various packages, many of which include dinner at one of the city’s fine restaurants and a movie for as low as $25. “The whole region is looking to have more tourism partners and we’ll do anything we can to help them find commissionable products,” said Ms Weber.–David Wilkening–