Ithaca, N.Y. (March 1, 2007)—Winter Recess, Ithaca’s

citywide celebration of classroom teachers, closed its

inaugural year as the community’s largest winter tourism

event. More than 1,300 teachers, school district

employees, friends and families attended the weeklong

festival, Feb. 17-24.


“The response was simply overwhelming, that’s the only

word for it,” said Fred Bonn, director of the

Ithaca/Tompkins Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We doubled

our target attendance and surpassed our highest

projections by 30 percent. It was such a success, we’re

definitely making Winter Recess an annual event.”


Preliminary reporting shows 1,304 guests attended Winter

Recess, including 591 educators and 713 family members.

The event attracted 724 out-of-county attendees, injecting

an estimated $75,000 into the local economy. Area hotels,

inns and B&Bs reported 308 Winter Recess guests, leading

to record-breaking February occupancy at several

properties. Visitors came from all areas of New York and

several outlying states including Ohio, Pennsylvania,

Virginia, and Vermont.


“The economic impact is fabulous, but that’s only part of

the story,” Bonn said. “Roughly 40 percent of attendees

are residents of Tompkins County. Local teachers really

enjoyed this event and that was a goal of ours. When

tourism benefits locals as much as visitors, everyone

wins.”


Winter Recess included more than 75 scheduled events at 41

locations around the community. Most events were free and

open to the public. Educators and their guests qualified

for discounted lodging, dining, shopping and activities at

more than 55 local businesses.


“The community really embraced this celebration,” Bonn

said. “Local businesses, event organizers and educational

institutions deserve tremendous praise for getting

involved. We can’t thank them enough.”


The Convention and Visitors Bureau is a division of the

Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce. "It was especially

gratifying to see many local businesses benefit from this

festival and to hear from visitors how much they enjoyed

shopping at the retail and service businesses in our

community" said Jean McPheeters, the president of the

Chamber.


Coinciding with the statewide February public school

break, Winter Recess saluted the work of educators while

promoting the surprising variety of activities available

on Ithaca’s diverse winter calendar. The festival website,

IthacaLovesTeachers.com, recorded more than 42,000 page

views before and during the event.


Less than a half-day’s drive from everywhere in New York,

Ithaca is a progressive community renowned for

breathtaking gorge waterfalls, outstanding recreation and

world-class thinking. Home to Cornell University and

Ithaca College, the city’s rich culture, fine lodging and

abundance of top-quality restaurants make it an ideal base

for any Finger Lakes getaway. Travel and lodging

information is available at VisitIthaca.com, or (800) 284-

8422.


—30—