Say what you will about the wisdom, or the inadvisability, of government?s direct involvement in horse racing in New York, there are certain programmatic areas in which a close collaboration with the state can have a powerful and positive impact.
To that end, and for the first time in the 36-year history of New York State?s iconic ?I Love NY? tourism campaign, a thrilling action image of horse racing is featured on the cover of the state?s annual summer travel guide ? its signature promotional publication.
The splashy color photo features horses captured in midair as they land over a steeplechase obstacle on the turf homestretch at Saratoga Race Course. The Eclipse Award-winning photographer Skip Dickstein shot the photo for The Albany Times Union, which allowed the state to use it for this year?s guide.
Published in both print and online editions, the travel guide is produced by the New York State Department of Economic Development?s Division of Tourism and has long been one of the essential tools used to promote New York as a destination to consumers.
An attractive, glossy magazine loaded with colorful images and detailed information on destinations and attractions across the state, the 132-page guide also provides information on autumn and winter activities, as well. And it?s a bargain, too ? it?s free.
Hard copies of the print edition can be found at selected welcome centers across the state. It also can be requested for delivery by mail via the state?s tourism Web site or via phone.
Conveying the action, drama and excitement embodied in racing, the photo?s placement on the state travel guide?s cover is the result of a concerted effort by local tourism and business interests in Saratoga County to attract the state?s participation in the promotion of a five-month celebration of the 150th anniversary of horse racing in Saratoga this summer that began May 1 in the picturesque upstate Victorian city.
Marylou Whitney, the beloved doyenne of horse racing in Saratoga, is an honorary chairperson of the Saratoga 150 celebration along with her husband John Hendrickson, and serves as its local celebrity spokesperson.
The travel guide cover gives a strong boost to Saratoga Springs and the Saratoga 150 celebration, the historic race course and annual race meeting (which runs from July 19 through Labor Day this summer), and the surrounding region. More broadly, it boldly recognizes horse racing in New York, reinforcing the sport?s image as fast-moving and thrilling to watch ? with beautiful animals as its centerpiece ? that visitors should not miss when visiting New York State.
Having spent the better part of 25 years involved in tourism promotion in New York State ? half of those years in state government service overseeing the tourism services and welcome centers along the New York Thruway and promoting the state?s 524-mile canal system, including the legendary Erie Canal, as a world-class tourism and recreational resource ? I know how highly popular this publication is with both residents and visitors as an essential reference for planning vacations. As a tourism marketer, I also know that landing the annual state travel guide cover is a prime placement ? a coveted bonus that automatically enhances any destination promotion effort.
At a time when horse racing can use all the friends it can get as marketing partners to help promote the sport and strengthen its recently beleaguered public image, highly influential ones like the state?s I Love NY campaign ? widely acknowledged as one of the most recognizable brands in the world ? are some of the best kind to have.
The timing of this featured exposure for racing is auspicious, too. In the closing minutes of an all-day tourism industry summit meeting convened in Albany on May 8, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the allocation of $60 million in new funding for the state?s tourism promotion efforts, which represents the highest funding level in the history of the I Love NY campaign. It?s a substantial boost for an industry that attracts to New York more than 200 million visitors annually, generates $57 billion in direct spending and is responsible for 714,000 jobs, according to the governor?s office.
In its own right, the horse industry in New York ? including racing, other horse sports and related equestrian activities, breeding, and ancillary businesses ? has a $4.2 billion impact on the state?s economy and generates the equivalent of about 33,000 full-time jobs, according to a study released in October by the New York State Horse Racing and Agriculture Industry Alliance.
In December, the New York State Racing Fan Advisory Council released its first report and recommendations to the state?s Racing and Wagering Board (now Gaming Commission). Included among the Council?s recommendations was the development of an ?I Love NY Horse Racing? promotion. Certainly, such an initiative would be consistent with the desire the governor expressed at the recent tourism summit to tap new avenues for tourism product development, particularly those within the sporting events sector. Given the world-class horse racing and other well-established horse-related events and facilities that already exist in New York, it would seem to be a no-brainer to cleverly package and promote those resources collectively in collaboration with the I Love NY program to broaden their appeal and extend further their economic impact as tourism attractions.
?Tourism is marketing,? the governor said during the industry summit. ?Ultimately, it all comes down to the product we?re marketing, and we have the best product imaginable.?
Perhaps it was Whitney who best described the obvious link between tourism and horse racing when she accepted a special Eclipse Award of Merit in Florida in 2011.
?We should also remember that racing is not just about the betting,? she said. ?The beauty, pageantry, and flair is what separates our sport from any other. Every race meet must be an extraordinary event ? the only place to be.?
This summer, that place will be Saratoga, but here?s hoping the affection shown for horse racing by the state?s I Love NY campaign will extend beyond the season and the historic spa city and signal the beginning of a productive new promotional partnership with the sport and not just a fleeting summer romance.
Leslie Knauf is a writer, editor, marketer and horsewoman in upstate New York who has been attending races at Saratoga for more than 50 years. She began riding at 9 and owned several thoroughbreds that she rode for pleasure. She?s certain they taught her far more than she ever could teach them.
Source: http://therail.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/14/this-summer-new-york-loves-horse-racing/
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