Tourism is considered one of Connecticut’s top six industries by state economic development officials, but the bounty from visitors with disposable income isn’t shared equally by all cities and towns.
One district heavily dependent on the industry is Mystic. And since its spring, business is about to get into full swing in the small village located in New London County.
Mystic, over the years, has developed into a destination for many, including those who live outside the state and country. Tourism is so important to Mystic that 50 percent of Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce members are tourism-related businesses, chamber president Tricia Walsh said.
“But I can also say that 100 percent of our businesses are impacted [by the industry],” Walsh said. “We live and work in a place in which we realize the reason we have this wonderful area is because of tourism.”
Mystic is marketed as part of the larger “Mystic Country” region, which includes 42 eastern Connecticut towns that rely heavily on the tourism industry.
According to the most recent economic impact study by the state Commission on Culture and Tourism, Mystic Country employs 27,572 people through tourism-related businesses. That makes up nearly a quarter of the tourism workforce in the state. Mystic also accounts for 28.9 percent of Connecticut traveler spending, according to the report.
That means companies in Mystic sink or swim with the tourism season. Good weather with pleasant temperatures could generate healthy business; get a nasty, rainy summer and Mystic’s economy could feel the pinch.
Mystic business and government officials say they promote the village as a destination of culture, history and education. Surrounding towns, including Groton and Stonington, also are heavily dependent on the tourists Mystic draws to the region.
Groton Town Manager Mark Oefinger said the staples of commerce in Mystic are historical attractions like the Seaport, Olde Mistick Village and the USS Nautilus as well as the educational hub that the aquarium has created.
Mystic Seaport Communications Director Dan McFadden said the area has slowly evolved over the past 40 years to become a destination for special events that help attract visitors, especially during warmer months. The Mystic Outdoor Art Festival, for example, which features about 100,000 works on display, draws about 85,000 visitors over two days in August.
Traditional attractions and special events will draw a combination of day-trippers and multi-day travelers, Oefinger said.
“Mystic is a sleepy New England town for some of the year,” Oefinger said. “Then things change.”
Walsh said development officials and business owners market the area through the regional tourism district, but, she added, there is rarely a marketing promotional campaign because the region tends to sell itself.
“We have marquee value in the Mystic Country name,” she said. “From the Thames River to Watch Hill, it is easy to associate the coastal region with Mystic. When families go on vacation, they fall in love with it and realize that is the way people live here.”
More year-round activity
One of the biggest draws to the area is Mystic Seaport, which, along with other attractions in the region, is trying to expand the tourism season beyond warm-weather months.
And leveraging history is a big part of trying to develop a sustainable, 12-month operation.
McFadden said the seaport tries to be an extension to history lessons taught in schools and it will run educational exhibits year round to draw in visitors.
This fall, for example, the seaport is hosting an exhibit entitled, “Ships, Clocks and Stars,” which is bringing in navigation artifacts from the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England.
It is a major exhibit that will carry the seaport into 2016, when it resumes full-year operations after a brief hiatus this past winter.
In June, Mystic Seaport will be featuring an exhibit called “Voyaging in the Wake of the Whalers,” that will showcase the history of whaling in America.
The 4,400 square-foot display is designed to go hand-in-hand with the 70 or so vessels in the water this time of year, McFadden said.
Visitors can also watch a 1908 steamer on dry dock being restored.
The Seaport handles about 250,000 visitors each year.
It is especially popular with tourists from England, France and Germany in the offseason, McFadden said.
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