UPDATE
UPDATE AT
UPDATE AT 6. BACK TO YOU. >> MORE TO COME MARIA, THANKS. >>> A TOURISM FOLKS HAVE A
TOUGH TASK AHEAD OF THEM OVER
THE NEXT YEAR OR SO CONVINCING
PEOPLE WHEN IT IS SAFE TO START
TO TRAVEL AGAIN.
A SURVEY COMMISSION BY THE
AMERICAN HOTEL AND LODGING
ASSOCIATION JUST FOUND THAT A
LITTLE MORE THAN HALF OF
AMERICANS 56% SAID THAT THEY DO
PLAN TO TRAVEL FOR VACATION
THIS YEAR.
>> SO THAT IS DOWN FROM 70% IN
A NORMAL YEAR.
ONLY A THIRD OF AMERICANS SAY
THEY'RE COMFORTABLE STAYING IN
A HOTEL RIGHT NOW AND 48% SAY
THAT'S GOING TO DEPEND IN ONE
WAY OR ANOTHER ON VACCINES AND
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE KNOW
LEADERS IN BUFFALO ARE WATCHING
CLOSELY BECAUSE TOURISM IS A
BIG PART OF THE WESTERN NEW
YORK ECONOMY.
>> SO LET'S GET STRAIGHT TO OUR
GUESTS NOW TO TALK ABOUT THAT.
PATRICK IS PRESIDENT AND CEO OF
BUFFALO NIAGARA AND HAS THE
BEST BACK DROP THAT WE'VE SEEN
THUS FAR.
THANK YOU FOR COMING ON.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> NICE TO SEE YOU AND YOU'VE
SEEN THIS IN OTHER SURVEYS SO
HOW BIG OF A HIT DID THE LOCAL
TOURISM INDUSTRY TAKE AND HOW
LONG DO YOU THINK IT WILL TAKE
UNTIL YOU GET BACK TO THE
LEVELS THAT YOU SAW BEFORE THE
PANDEMIC HIT?
>> SURE.
OVERALL TOURISM WAS THE HARDEST
HIT INDUSTRY BY THE PANDEMIC
AND IT'S ALSO GOING TO BE THE
INDUSTRY THAT TAKES THE LONGEST
TO RECOVER.
AND HERE IN ERIE COUNTY WE TOOK
ABOUT A 47% HIT IN OUR
OCCUPANCY YEAR-OVER-YEAR FROM
19 TO 20.
AND THE RESEARCH THAT YOU
REFERENCED AS SPOT ON WITH
OTHER THINGS THAT WE'RE SEEING.
MOST RELEVANT IS THAT THE
OVERALL COMBINATION OF BOTH
LEISURE AND BUSINESS TRAVEL
WON'T RECOVER UNTIL 2024.
HOWEVER LEISURE TRAVEL IS
EXPECTED TO RETURN TO 2019
LEVELS BY 2022.
BUT WE ARE ALSO EXPECTING TO
SEE A GOOD INCREASE IN 2021 SO
WE'RE GOING TO SEE IT GRADUALLY
BUT TO GET BACK TO WHERE WE
WERE IN 2019 WHICH WE'RE ALMOST
RECORD BREAKING NUMBERS IT'S
GOING TO TAKE UNTIL 2024.
>> HEY PATRICK, GIVE US A SENSE
OF YOUR GAME PLAN AND WHAT YOU
ARE GOING TO DO ONCE IT'S SAFE
FOR PEOPLE TO BE TRAVELING MORE
TO GET THEM TO COME HERE.
>> SURE.
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE HEALTH
AND SAFETY OF VISITORS AND
THEIR COMFORT LEVEL TRAVELING
EITHER GETTING ON A PLANE OR
EVEN JUST TRAVELING BY CAR AND
SO WE'RE FOCUSING MOSTLY ON THE
DRIVE MARKET AND THE FIRST TWO
QUARTERS OF 2021.
WE AREN'T ABLE TO HOST LARGE
EVENTS AT THE CONVENTION CENTER
RIGHT NOW AND HAD TO REDUCE OUR
STAFF TO EIGHT PEOPLE AT THIS
POINT SO WE'RE REALLY LOOKING
AT THE OPPORTUNITY TO OPEN THE
CONVENTION CENTER PROBABLY POST
LABOR DAY AND LOOKING AT MAYBE
A 20 TO 30% RATE OF BUSINESS AT
THE CONVENTION CENTER COMPARED
TO 2019 LEVELS.
SO REALLY WE'RE FOCUSING ON THE
DRIVE MARKET.
WE'RE VERY HOPEFUL THAT THE
CANADIAN GOVERNMENT WILL OPEN
UP THE BORDER BECAUSE THAT I
THINK WOULD HELP US A LOT WITH
OUR OVERALL LEISURE VISITATION.
>> AND PATRICK, WE'RE ALMOST
OUT OF TIME BUT QUICKLY IN A
YEAR THAT'S BEEN SO CHALLENGING
THE BUFFALO BILLS HAD A GREAT
SEASON.
THE CITY GOT SOME GREAT
EXPOSURE BECAUSE OF THAT.
DEFINITELY NOT A BAD THING BUT
DOES IT TRANSLATE AS FAR AS
TOURISM GOES?
>> WE'RE COUNTING ON THAT
ACTUALLY AND SO MUCH OF WHAT WE
WERE MONITORING AND PUTTING OUT
OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS PRIOR
TO OUR LAST LOSS WAS VERY MUCH
GEARED TOWARDS THOSE BUFFALO
BILLS FANS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
ACTUALLY.
AND YOU KNOW, I'VE LIVED ACROSS
THE COUNTRY AND SO MANY OF MY
FRIENDS WERE REALLY ON THE
BILLS BAND WAGON AND THAT'S
TRANSLATED INTO REALLY SOME
INTEREST IN BUFFALO SO WE'RE
USING THAT AS A JUMP START TO
SOME OF OUR OVERALL MESSAGING.
BUT GREAT THINGS THAT HAVE
HAPPENED IN BUFFALO PRIOR TO
THE PANDEMIC THAN WITH THE
BILLS AND IT TRANSLATES INTO A
REALLY GOOD STORY FOR US TO
TELL.
>> IT'S GREAT WHEN WE CAN SEE
THE BILLS PLAY IN THE PRIME
TIME GAMES AND A NATIONAL
AUDIENCE GETS TO SEE THE PRETTY
SHOTS THEY ALWAYS SHOW OF
BUFFALO.
PATRICK THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME
TONIGHT.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> THANKS EVERYBODY FOR
WATCHING.
REMEMBER TO KEEP TEXTING US