Professor touts cultural festival, history emphasis to boost York tourism
Nothing draws a crowd quite like a good ol' boot-kicking festival, Jukka Laitamaki recalled of his native Finland during a presentation to the York County Convention & Visitors Bureau Wednesday.
The tourism expert and NYU professor suggested such a cultural festival as one way York, billed as the Factory Tour Capitol of the World, could increase tourism. While the county has its share of eccentricities, from a minor obsession with a rotating barbell-wielder on Interstate 83 to an undying affection for locally made potato chips, nobody organizes an annual barbell toss or chip-eating contest.
Laitamaki's presentation was meant to set the creative wheels in motion at the Ninth Annual Tourism Stakeholder Event at Holiday Inn & Conference Center in West Manchester Township. More than 100 business owners, managers and tourism experts attended the event to learn about how to boost York County's $717 million tourism industry.
CVB president Anne Druck said the county didn't only survive the economic recession, it thrived. The area has more hotels and fewer empty rooms, she said. Year-to-date, the hotel occupancy rate has increased by 7.1 percent when compared with 2010.
The CVB has also launched a two-state wine trail and booked events such as the 2014 Can-Am Police-Fire Games, a sports competition for law enforcement that is expected to draw more than 2,000 people to York, she said.
They will come: Laitamaki also presented data culled from a variety of sources, describing the post-recession tourist's habits and suggesting strategies for York tourism officials and businesses to attract people.
He said current tourists are most concerned with, in this order, spending, germs, fuel and the ability to check their email on a daily basis.
Though more people said they intend to take a vacation this year than last, they also intend to spend less money, he said. The average tourist plans to spend $980 on vacation, down from $1,040 last year.
Used Barbell Sets - News
nobody organizes an annual barbell toss or chip-eating contest. Laitamaki's presentation was meant to set the creative wheels in motion at the Ninth Annual Tourism Stakeholder Event at Holiday Inn & Conference Center in West Manchester Township.
20 at the York Barbell Facility in York, Pa. Ultimate Athletics sent three lifters to the competition: Kevin Nelson, James Howell, and Casey Drader. Nelson and Drader each deadlifted 500 pounds at 235-pound bodyweight. Howell set a squat world record
TWO men who armed themselves with a dumbbell bar and a metal pole and set out on a revenge attack have both been jailed for 10 months. Police intercepted Sean Lancaster and Paul Henry before they could attack anyone, in the Low White Close area of
The second option would be to perform the dumbbell split squat, which requires even less equipment. For the dumbbell split squat all you will need is a set of dumbbells of appropriate weight and some open floor space. The dumbbell version can also be a
Also, just as in September, a number of the Georgia IronDawgs -- who base out of the Iron Beast Barbell gym in Gainesville -- were a key part of the team USA wins. The full-power (squat, bench, deadlift) competition began Friday, and one of the newer