A recent 12-month impact study, released by the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association (BACVA), found that the Baltimore Visitor Center positively influenced consumer behavior and spending, generating an estimated $3.5 million in additional spending from July 2004 through June 2005.
According to the study, conducted by the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Temple University, survey respondents reported spending more money than originally planned following a visit to the center. How much they spent depended on whether they lived in the area or were from out of town. Twenty-six percent of local travel parties reported spending $107 more per day than originally planned, while 29 percent of out-of-town guests reported spending an additional $132, a direct result of information and services provided at the center.
Much of the center?s success can be attributed to its ability to promote interesting, exciting and glamorous events being held in the city.
The center?s ubiquitous promotion of the Annual Miss USA Competition during its three-week pageant period is one example of its strategy to keep people engaged and spending.
Another is its effective cheerleading for Baltimore?s Waterfront Festival, which begins Thursday.
The center also continues to successfully market such traditional Baltimore staple as the Flower Mart held next month in Mount Vernon.
While it?s important for the center to promote such entertaining events, it hasn?t neglected the historical side of Baltimore. This is particularly important for tourists, who also happen to be Civil War buffs.
The center promoted today?s commemoration of the Pratt Street riot, the first blood shed in the Civil War in 1861. Guides will help visitors retrace the route of the Six Massachusetts Regiment as they moved across Camden Station to meet head-on with an angry mob of Southern sympathizers.
This is the event that caused people of the era to refer to Baltimore as “mob town.”
Upcoming events
» Decorators’ Show House at Villa Vista, April 23-May 21.
» Baltimore Symphony celebrates its 30th anniversary Decorators’ Show House at Villa Vista. Visitors can tour this beautiful Mediterranean-style home, located on more than 5 acres of land and built in 1920 on a farm known as Wilton Wood.
» Flower Mart, May 5-6. This perennial favorite features a variety of garden favorites from exotic plants to hanging baskets, along with music, family entertainment, crafts and great food. And ? new this year ? an al fresco cinema. Mount Vernon at the Washington Monument; 410-323-0022.
? Source: BACVA
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