Funds Will Promote Everything from Hotels to Historic Houses
(Queens, NY) For the third year in a row, Assemblywoman Margaret M. Market (D-Maspeth), who chairs the New York State Assembly’s Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts, and Sports Development, has secured a grant of $100,000 to the Queens Tourism Council (QTC).
“It gives me great pride to help support the outstanding work of the Queens Tourism Council as it spreads the word about our magnificent borough,” said Assemblywoman Markey. “The council is directly responsible for the world-wide attention that Queens received after being named Tourism Destination of the Year for 2015, and this support from the State of New York will help them keep our local economy growing by supporting local businesses and creating new jobs.”
The Queens Tourism Council recently announced a new $100,000 grant from New York State for tourism marketing in Queens. Seen in photo are (from left) Assemblywoman Margaret Markey, Chair of the Assembly Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development Committee; Rob MacKay, Director of the Queens Tourism Council; and Seth Bornstein, Executive Director of Queens Economic Development Corporation. Photo Credit: QTC.
Over the last 10 years, Queens has changed in many ways, says Rob MacKay, QTC director. Once a borough that visitors “traveled” through on the way to somewhere else, it has become a destination for millions of tourists each year.
“As befits the most diverse county in the world, there’s something for everyone,” he says. “Ethnic restaurants are authentic and affordable, while parks, beaches, and nature centers host various special events. The hotels, many recently built, cost on average $150 less per night than their counterparts in Manhattan, and the cultural institutions are on par with the best in the world. Plus, public transportation — especially from the hubs of Long Island City, Flushing, and Jamaica — offers easy access to many sites.”
When Melinda Katz became Borough President in 2013, she quickly understood the importance of tourism and proclaimed Queens to be the “World’s Borough.” Last year, Assemblywoman Markey and Borough President Katz chaired the World’s Fair Anniversary Committee, which organized festivities in Flushing Meadows Corona Park that celebrated the 50th and 75th anniversaries of World’s Fairs that took place there.
In a way, her support for QTC is a homecoming for Assemblywoman Markey, says QTC’s MacKay. In the 1980s, she worked at the Queens Borough President Office’s Department of Economic Development. In that role, she created a committee to focus on developing tourism as an economic catalyst for the borough. “She was dauntless in her pursuit to bring together cultural venues, hotels and restaurants, and, slowly interest began to grow,” he says.
Markey left the Borough President’s Office when she was elected to the Assembly in 1999 and now represents the 30th District in Western Queens. By utilizing her knowledge and experience, she has become a strong advocate for tourism across the entire state in her role as chair of the Assembly’s Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development Committee.
Thanks to Assemblywoman Markey’s original grant three years ago, QTC was empowered to grow and flourish, adds MacKay. It now facilitates monthly networking events, manages social media under the “It’s In Queens” brand, organizes promotions such as Restaurant Week and Queens Taste, and takes national and international media members on familiarization tours that have led to almost 100 press hits, most notably Lonely Planet’s selection of Queens as the country’s best tourism destination for 2015.
“Tourism is a great catalyst for economic development,” says Seth Bornstein, Executive Director of the Queens Economic Development Corporation, QTC’s parent organization. There are more than 100 hotels, 10,000 food establishments, 50 cultural venues, professional sporting activities, and a wide range of parks. “These assets represent the rich and robust diversity that makes Queens unique and a place of interest for visitors. They are a vital part of our local economy that creates jobs, services and increases the tax base.”
