Creative boost to urban economy: What the Staycation effect can do for Albany

No matter what market you are in, no doubt you have recently heard coined the term "staycation," sticking close to home for leisure travel summer as fuel costs rise and the overall status of the economy causes families to dig deeper. Like other urban areas, the Downtown Albany Business Improvement District (BID) has seen this as an opportunity to highlight what the Capital City has to offer as a staycation and has partnered with the Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACCVB) and BID member hotels, restaurants, venues and attractions to offer packages and sample itineraries to engage our local - or distant - visitor. Despite hosting more than two million non-work visits per year, Albany doesn't spring to mind as a typical tourist destination. Thoughtful of that, BID members were determined to create offerings that focus on quality, value and variety - key factors to draw today's consumer. Many packages include collaborations with a variety of downtown hotels, restaurants, venues and attractions and create a natural walking tour of Albany for the traveler. While advancement of the staycation satisfies the portion of the BID's mission to promote downtown Albany to visitors, the challenge was how to parlay this concept further, maximizing the potential from vacationers who may be unfamiliar with the city's amenities. After all, our mission extends to promotion of downtown as a place to live and work as well. As we contemplated Albany's promotable tourist assets, we realized that the extended opportunity lies more in the visitor themselves. A secondary objective to showcasing our city as a leisure destination is to draw the visitor's attention to the other possibilities Albany represents as place of business or residence. As the country's second oldest chartered city, Albany boasts an extraordinary amount of historical treasure and architecturally significant commercial property and private residences of a level relatively unsurpassed for a city of comparable size. Fortunately, these visually striking details are obvious to either the pedestrian visitor or driver passing through a few main Albany streets - the beautiful building exteriors sell themselves. In its role of state capital, Albany boasts spectacular government structures for sightseeing, from the governor's mansion to the capitol itself. For those travelers looking beyond a visit to Albany toward the establishment of a more permanent relationship, downtown represents a convenient and abundant opportunity to leverage government access to catapult a business, or political career, to an accelerated level of success. Beyond proximity to the seats of political power and state, federal and local government agencies, as the capital, Albany is also a major regional financial center and draws corporate offices from virtually every business category. Its pedestrian scale also facilitates easy business to business relationships. A short stroll along State St. or Broadway invariably results in impromptu business and networking meetings, and building directories display a who's-who of some of the largest companies in the country. While Albany once flew under the radar, its stable economy, modest cost of living and high quality of life have drawn increasing attention from investors and the press over the last few years. In the November 24, 2006 issue of New York Times Magazine, David Wallis wrote, "...Albany far exceeds the usual expectations. It has impressive classical and modern architecture, attractive open spaces, a thriving music scene, a world-class collection of public abstract art, and — take note, future candidates for statewide office — several very good restaurants." Kennedy Lawson Smith, one of the nation's foremost experts on commercial district revitalization and development was keynote speaker at the Downtown Albany BID annual meeting in June. She also remarked on downtown's transformation and offerings: "I can't believe how much has changed since I was in Albany 20 years ago. It looks so much better and is a fabulous sign of recovery." Perhaps the biggest promoters of Albany's assets are those who live and work here. Downtown residents, employers and employees are among the first to endorse Albany as a prime business or residential alternative to the suburbs and regional technology parks. As for highlights the tourist would enjoy, our downtown workers and residents enjoy and take advantage of those every day. As visitors tour Albany with the eye of the leisure traveler, the opportunity to perhaps catch their eye as an employer, investor, or future downtown resident is tremendous. It's about being creative in extending your relationship. How do we create the link? The Downtown Albany BID outreach urges our members to be mindful of the potential capacity from the seemingly casual visitor and that our investment in this audience today could bring untold dividends tomorrow. Our challenge, and that of all urban areas looking to capitalize on this potential new or expanded tourist audience, is how to implement creative and effective leverage. As the economy challenges consumers, it challenges economic development. Perhaps this staycation effect will propel unanticipated economic prosperity. Pamela Tobin is executive director of Downtown Albany Business Improvement District (BID), Albany, N.Y.