Burlington, Vermont www.craneassociates.us HOLYOKE TOURISM STRATEGIC PLAN 2 | P a g e HOLYOKE TOURISM STRATEGIC PLAN Table of Contents Executive Summary _________________________________________________________________________________________ 6 A Vision for Tourism in Holyoke ______________________________________________________________________________ 8 Introduction _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 9 Acknowledgements _________________________________________________________________________________________ 11 Inventory of Tourism Assets and Services ______________________________________________________________________ 12 The Children's Museum at Holyoke ________________________________________________________________________ 12 Connecticut River _______________________________________________________________________________________ 13 HG&E Holyoke Dam and Fish Elevator:_________________________________________________________________________________________ 13 Holyoke Canoe Club ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 14 The Jones Ferry River Access _____________________________________________________________________________ 14 Gateway City Arts _______________________________________________________________________________________ 15 Heritage State Park ______________________________________________________________________________________ 15 The Holyoke Canal System________________________________________________________________________________ 16 The Holyoke Mall at Ingleside _____________________________________________________________________________ 16 Mount Tom State Park ___________________________________________________________________________________ 17 Nueva Esperanza ________________________________________________________________________________________ 18 St Patrick’s Day Parade and Road Race _____________________________________________________________________ 19 Victory Theater _________________________________________________________________________________________ 20 Volleyball Hall of Fame __________________________________________________________________________________ 20 The Whiting Street Reservoir _____________________________________________________________________________ 20 The Wistariahurst Museum (commonly referred to as simply “Wistariahurst”) ___________________________________ 21 Visitor Services ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 22 Accommodations ________________________________________________________________________________________ 22 3 | P a g e HOLYOKE TOURISM STRATEGIC PLAN Air Transportation ______________________________________________________________________________________ 23 Ground Transportation __________________________________________________________________________________ 23 Amtrak Train Station ____________________________________________________________________________________ 25 Tourism Market Data and Market Area ________________________________________________________________________ 26 Market Data Analysis ____________________________________________________________________________________ 26 Tourism Trade Area For Holyoke _____________________________________________________________________________ 29 Holyoke Mall Market Area _______________________________________________________________________________ 29 Children’s Museum Market Area __________________________________________________________________________ 32 Holyoke Heritage State Park Market Area __________________________________________________________________ 32 Out of State Visitor to Holyoke ____________________________________________________________________________ 33 Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau (GSCVB) _________________________________________________ 34 Holyoke’s Untapped Tourism Potential _____________________________________________________________________ 35 Strategic Planning _________________________________________________________________________________________ 38 The Process ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 38 Two workshops were designed to bring the stakeholders through the strategic planning process. _____________________ 39 Workshop 1 results _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 40 Strategic Thrust 1 Positive Public Perception of Holyoke: ___________________________________________________________________________ 41 Strategic Thrust 2 Effective and Coordinated Strategic Marketing: ____________________________________________________________________ 41 Strategic Thrust 3 Attractive Destinations: _______________________________________________________________________________________ 41 Vision Statement ________________________________________________________________________________________ 42 Strategic Thrusts and SMART Goals for Holyoke Tourism ____________________________________________________ 42 Recommendations _________________________________________________________________________________________ 43 Three Strategic Thrusts __________________________________________________________________________________ 43 Creating a Positive Public Perception of Holyoke __________________________________________________________________________________ 43 Effective and Coordinated Strategic Marketing ____________________________________________________________________________________ 44 A Signature Destination ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 44 4 | P a g e HOLYOKE TOURISM STRATEGIC PLAN Recommendation 1: Create and Market a New Brand for Holyoke ______________________________________________ 45 Implementation Actions for Recommendation 1 ___________________________________________________________________________________ 45 Recommendation 2: Permit Reform ________________________________________________________________________ 47 Implementation Actions for Recommendation 2 ___________________________________________________________________________________ 47 Recommendation 3: Monitor and Report Progress ____________________________________________________________ 47 Implementation Actions for Recommendation 3 ___________________________________________________________________________________ 48 Recommendation 4: Improved Infrastructure Maintenance Program ____________________________________________ 48 Implementation Actions for Recommendation 4 ___________________________________________________________________________________ 48 Recommendation 5: Coordinate business communications and Holyoke tourism opportunities into one marketing effort _ 49 Implementation Steps for Recommendation 5 _____________________________________________________________________________________ 49 Recommendation 6: Create Holyoke’s Signature Destination ___________________________________________________ 50 Implementation Actions for Recommendation 6 ___________________________________________________________________________________ 50 Recommendation 7: Establish a Puerto Rican Cultural District on Main Street ____________________________________ 52 Implementation Actions for Recommendation 7 ___________________________________________________________________________________ 53 Recommendation 8: Promoting Natural Areas _______________________________________________________________ 54 Implementation Actions for Recommendation 8 ___________________________________________________________________________________ 55 Recommendation 9: Develop Opportunities with MGM Springfield _____________________________________________ 57 Recommendation 10: Complete a financial and human resources plan to implement these recommendations __________ 57 Implementation Actions for Recommendation 9 ___________________________________________________________________________________ 58 Next Steps ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 59 Appendices _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 60 Appendix 1: Workshop Results ____________________________________________________________________________ 60 Appendix 2: Mill Tour ___________________________________________________________________________________ 60 Appendix 3: Canal Map __________________________________________________________________________________ 60 Appendix 4: Bike-Ped Trail _______________________________________________________________________________ 60 Appendix 5: Signs of Progress _____________________________________________________________________________ 60 Appendix 6: Sustainable Holyoke __________________________________________________________________________ 60 5 | P a g e HOLYOKE TOURISM STRATEGIC PLAN Executive Summary Holyoke was planned by industrialist and merchant investors who first constructed a granite dam over the Hadley Falls in 1849 and channeled the flow of the Connecticut River through four and a half miles of canals that powered some of the most productive mills in America. During the 19th and 20th centuries, those canals powered over 40 mills and manufacturing plants and elevated Holyoke to the heights of industrial productivity and prosperity. By the late 1900’s, after a combination of macro-economic changes, Holyoke suffered the same economic