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Tourism Numbers Dip Across Auglaize, Mercer Counties |
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Wednesday, 15 July 2009 |
By KATIE YANTIS
Staff Writer
ST. MARYS — St. Marys has long been part of Auglaize County that is a destination for tourists traveling to the lake and various museums and festivals, but local officials say tourism numbers are down this year partially because of a sagging national economy.
St. Marys Area Chamber of Commerce Director Kelly Kill said the number of people interested in visiting the area has fallen, but there is still traffic.
“We have not sent as many packets,” Kill said. “Most of the calls and interest go to the convention and visitors bureau. Every year we have some but it’s down for us, but I don’t know that it is industry wide.”
Kill said if she had to pinpoint a reason for the drop, it would be the economy.
“I would hazard to guess tourism is down because of gas prices,” Kill said. “We are repeating what we had last year, not quite as high, but most people stay a little closer to home. We are seeing more day trippers than overnight stays.”
Auglaize and Mercer Counties Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Donna Grubbe also said the numbers are down at the CVB. The assessment comes from lodging tax reports and Grubbe estimated the region has seen a 20 percent decline from last year.
“The way we rate it is through the lodging tax, that shows us how many people are spending money in hotels,” Grubbe said. “We just got May numbers yesterday (Sunday) and as of May it is down this year.”
Grubbe said the lower numbers for the first five months could be a result of the economy.
However she also said the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency advisory on Grand Lake St. Marys could have impacted the numbers for the summer months.
“We do know the economy played a part in that,” Grubbe said. “The advisory from the EPA is going to be negative on that for the rest of summer.”
As far as foot traffic, Grubbe said numbers are still steady.
“Our numbers are still pretty strong as far as people coming in here,” Grubbe said.
“We are getting a lot of questions on the EPA advisory. People have seen it at the boat docks and the beaches, so there is no doubt that it is a negative. It has hurt the tourism industry around here this summer.”
While Grubbe said the advisory has affected the visitation numbers to the lake, she mentioned other attractions for visitors who decided to come to Auglaize and Mercer counties.
“Boating and fishing are still great activities you can do without any fear,” Grubbe said. “Grand Lake is still a great place to visit, but there is picnicking and great festivals coming up such as Lake Fest, Bremenfest, Oktoberfest, SummerFest. If you are looking to have a great time, no doubt there are lots of things to do.”
Grubbe acknowledged the significant role the Bicycle Museum, Neil Armstrong Museum and the festivals can play in offering entertainment to visitors.
“The lake is our center piece but we have a lot of great things for folks to see and do when they come here,” Grubbe said. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 01 September 2009 )
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