Even though tourism nationally is steadily declining, Cayuga County may be in a position to benefit from the trend.

The nationwide decline is marked by a shift in demographic patterns and behaviors of different generation groups, according to Randall Travel Marketing, a North Carolina-based tourism industry consulting firm that recently studied Cayuga County. RTM said a younger audience of travelers prefers general relaxation such as dining, shopping, gaming and unstructured leisure time, making places like Cayuga County the perfect weekend getaway, said Meg Vanek, executive director of Cayuga County's Tourism Office.

“It's something we know we have but never thought to package it that way,” Vanek said. “The scenery, lakes, wineries, it's just far enough away from an urban area. This little weekend getaway is something our office can start promoting now.”

From November to March, team members from Randall Travel Marketing performed a tourism survey on the county, which included collecting tourism questionnaires, gathering the county's travel promotional material and traveling around the county to see different communities and tourist destinations.

The report concluded that Cayuga County and its residents can have confidence in knowing that the area should continue to have a healthy tourism economy. The team found a scenic landscape, friendly people and a variety of attractions and unique dining and shopping.

“Cayuga County is perfectly positioned for tourism and travel growth if you look at the amenities you have and the location you are in,” said Judy Randall, president and CEO of RTM. “You don't really have an excuse for not doing well with the location. It's perfectly situated between Rochester, Buffalo and New York City.”

Statistics from the report show that the largest market of travelers, accounting for 42 percent of visitors the county entertains, are leisure travelers, including those travelers on short vacations, group tours or those visiting family and friends.

“Forty-two percent is a larger percentage that we would typically find for areas similar to the county were it not for the fact that the county is part of the Finger Lakes region,” according to the report.

The second largest group of travelers are conducting business in the area, averaging about 39 percent of visitors.

While the county tourism industry rates above the national average, RTM also offered suggestions.

RTM said the county should improve its signage and wayfinding, stating that it's adequate, but needs to be improved.

“Signage and wayfinding is one of the biggest frustrations for any traveler,” Randall said. “Mastering that is going to create strong returns on investments for years to come.”

Vanek said her office has looked to solutions for this problem, but that it's more a regional problem than solely a county problem.

“We're going to need help with this. It's the entire region,” she said.

The director plans to seek guidance from state leaders and possibly coordinate with other counties to improve signage in the area together.

A second concern in the report is that the village of Fair Haven is not yet utilized enough. According to the report, RTM encourages county leaders to realize that the potential exists and awaits development.

Vanek explained while the county tries to promote some areas of Fair Haven, including Fair Haven State Park and some of the smaller unique shops like Fly By Night Cookie Company, she said the village itself also needs some visual improvements.

“They have some of the most unique places but they need to do some work on the facade of the village,” Vanek said.

RTM team members noted the village's aged appearance.

“Most of the village businesses were either closed or out of business. Frankly, in its present state, this community appears worn out,” team members wrote in the RTM report. “However, we believe due to its natural resource base, Fair Haven has great potential.”

RTM suggests that the village acquire significant streetscape and retail re-development in order become a “Haven” for visitors.

“They see a huge potential but there are things that need to be fixed,” Vanek said.

Help for county tourism promotional improvements could come from receiving additional revenue from an increase in the county's occupancy tax for hotels, motels and inns. If state and county officials authorize increasing the occupancy tax from 3 to 5 percent, the tourism office will have roughly $125,000 additional revenue to allocate toward implementing the recommendations provided by RTM.

Occupancy tax revenue is directed toward tourism promotion and the tourism office is contracted with the county to receive the money. The tax is charged only to people who stay at county hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts, posing no financial burden on county residents. An increase will also help the county compete with neighboring counties that already charge a 5 percent hotel tax, including Onondaga, Cortland and Tompkins counties.

State legislators may approve the increase by June 22, when it closes its session. If so, county officials may hold an official vote authorizing an increase.

Currently lodging occupancy rates for the county remain lower than the national average, according to RTM.

“I supported allowing them (county officials) to make the decision and dedicate funding to tourism promotion,” said State Sen. Michael Nozzolio, R-Fayette. “Tourism is a critically important component of Cayuga County and the entire Finger Lakes region's economy.”

The Office of Tourism is the single entity that unites the interests of government, trade/civic associations and travel suppliers in recruiting visitor traffic to the area.

Currently there are 32 hotel/motel, bed and breakfast and inn lodging properties representing a total 623 rooms collecting the county's occupancy tax.

Vanek has told county officials several times that with the additional funding she plans to implement some of the suggestions provided by RTM.

RTM suggests redesigning the official count visitor guide, placing an emphasis on grabbing the weekend getaway traveler. Randall said adding a technology person who could focus on marketing the county through the Internet would also be beneficial to the county.

“You definitely need to improve outreach to stay competitive in the region and the state. You have other people vying for the same customers,” Randall said. “Preserve the beautiful and tranquil nature you have and continue to develop areas that have room for more growth.”

Staff writer Kristina Martino can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kristina.martino@lee.net