Winter often is considered a time to hunker down until the weather is warmer, but Visit Buffalo is launching a new campaign to increase domestic tourism even in the cold.
The “That’s Buffalo” campaign targets residents in nearby areas – like Chicago, Cleveland and Central New York – as potential visitors.
It’s part of a push to emphasize winter’s outdoor offerings at Canalside and around Buffalo, like ice skating and the express ice train, Visit Buffalo CEO Patrick Kaler said.
“The winter campaign inspires travelers to come to Buffalo Nari County. The visitor center welcomes those travelers once they get here, and guides them through the region together," he said. "These efforts boost tourism, support the local economy, and keep Buffalo and Erie County top of mind for seasonal getaways.”
The campaign also includes a visitor center for Visit Buffalo, which is housed within the new Chandlery Building.
It's a major milestone, especially since it’s part of the location where the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium once stood, said Joan Kesner, chairperson for Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation.
“It is the first completed development within the former Buffalo Aud site," she said. "The Chandlery is a $14 million investment by ECHDC that will serve as the new gateway to Canalside Waterfront District here. The name itself has a lot of history.”
Another key part of the new location is an instalation by local artist Reinhard Reizenstein. It includes footprints pressed into granite steps leading from the visitor center to Canalside's ice rink, and several granite blocks representing the crates Reizenstein saw when his family left Germany and arrived on America's shores.
"It's my story, essentially, that's why I saw the footsteps," said Reizenstein a sculpture professor at the University at Buffalo. "I saw the whole scenario before I could even think any further. It just appeared; sometimes that's the way it works."
