C R Y D E R P O I N T JULY/AUGUST op-ed 14 STATE GRANTS GO TO BOOST QUEENS TOURISM BY ASSEMBLYMEMBER MARGARET MARKEY With 52 million visitors to New York City last year, Queens is already the city’s second most important borough for the tourist and travel industry. This year, thanks to economic development funding from New York State, the Queens Chamber of Commerce and the Queens Tourism Council we are setting out to unlock even more of the tremendous potential of this economic sector for our borough. There are currently more than 43,000 tourism-related jobs in Queens, nearly 100 hotels and a host of museums, cultural organizations, restaurants and such major venues as Citi Field, the U.S. Tennis Association and Resorts World Casino. To help spread the word about this array of attractions and services in what must be the most diverse county in America, I am proud to have provided a grant of $70,000 to the Queens Tourism Council for the coming year. This funding from the NY State Department of Economic Development’s “I Love NY” program will enable the Council to conduct an aggressive multi-media marketing campaign to promote businesses and cultural attractions to residents of the Tri-State Area and to establish a presence at international travel and hospitality conferences. Another major tourism program that will debut this summer is the “This is Queens” smartphone app, developed with $100,000 in tourism funding from the New York State Department of Economic Development. Launching in time to capitalize on the many thousands of new visitors who will come to Queens for the U.S. Open and the Major League All-Star Game, the free service will tell visitors where they can stay and eat and will also suggest additional activities for them at locations throughout the borough. It will also provide photos and information on the borough’s cultural and entertainment attractions and provide directions by train, bus or walking. Unlocking the enormous economic potential of the tourism industry in Queens has long been an important goal for me. When I was a member of the senior staff of Borough President Claire Shulman in 1990s, I created the first tourism program for Queens by establishing the Queens Tourism Council. From that beginning with an emerging array of museums and cultural destinations and only a handful of hotels, the Council now has 50 entities and continues to grow. As we see the continuing enhancement of Queens cultural facilities and historic sites and the expansion of tourism and entertainment opportunities in locales as diverse as Long Island City and Flushing, we can expect the travel industry to continue to produce new jobs and economic vitality for our borough and I am delighted that the State of New York State is helping. Assemblymember Margaret Markey, who represents the 30th District of Queens, is Chair of the Assembly Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development. Inquiring Photographer: How are you dealing with the heat this summer? I’ll be beating the heat by enjoying the pool and being in the water as much as possible. I’m keeping myself going by thinking about the snow in January. Kay Glass I’m going to lay by the pool now that I’m retired and I’m going to enjoy every minute. Oh, and I’ll be drinking lots of water. Eileen Annechino I’ll be staying hydrated, going to the pool, and cranking up the AC at home. William Harrison I’m going to be swimming at the pool, going out to the beach, and hanging out on my father-in-law’s boat. Clyde Eltzroth To stay cool I’ll be drinking lots of water and going swimming. I’ll also be taking cold showers and making sure I keep my sugar levels up. Georgia Papagianis I’m going to get under the shade, go in the pool and have lots of Froyo (frozen yogurt). Phil Bedard BY JOHANN HAMILTON CRYDER POINT • T h e O f f i c i a l N e w s p a p e r o f C r y d e r P o i n t • “We’re All About You” Publisher & Editor Victoria Schneps-Yunis Associate Publisher Joshua A. Schneps Editor In Chief Toni Cimino Cryder Point Courier, 38-15 Bell Blvd. Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 Sales fax: 718-631-3498 e-mail: editorial@queenscourier.com Art Director Jennifer Decio Artists Stephen Reina, Nirmal Singh, Ron Torina, Cheryl Gallagher Entire Contents Copyright 2013 by the Cryder Point Courier. All letters sent to CRYDER POINT COURIER should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should include a full address and home and office telephone numbers, where available, as well as affiliation, indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Only letters with a name given will be accepted. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of CRYDER POINT COURIER. 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