Westchester Launches Tourism Action Plan with Federal Grant
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Westchester County Tourism & Film has been awarded a grant as part of the American Rescue Plan to help encourage new business opportunities to develop in the tourism sector and recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
County Executive George Latimer launched the initiative at the Guiding the Future of Tourism forum that was held recently at Westchester Marriott and attended by tourism partners from hotels, arts and cultural attractions, transportation companies, chambers, and others.
“The hospitality and tourism sector has shown remarkable resilience during the past few years. This unprecedented project will guide us to take our economic recovery to a new level, bringing jobs and economic benefits to the entire region,” Latimer said. “When one attraction succeeds, we all succeed as a destination. We are stronger together.”
Westchester County Tourism & Film has engaged with a team led by Hunden Strategic Partners, a full-service, national destination development advisory practice to support the post-pandemic redevelopment and revitalization needs of the region.
“Westchester County Tourism & Film is excited to work on this comprehensive tourism action plan to help boost tourism, support workforce development, and emphasize diversity and inclusion, benefiting local businesses,” said Natasha Caputo, director of Westchester County Tourism & Film.
The plan will produce professional documentation of short, medium, and long-term actions and priorities that should be taken to recover and grow the tourism sector for maximum economic benefit in the region. Once implemented, the recovery plan will help encourage new business opportunities to develop in the tourism sector, particularly focusing on new business models and improving the attractiveness of the county as a destination, which county officials said will help increase employment opportunities, spur private investment, and advance economic resiliency in the area.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
