Fitzgerald vows to push tourism in Bristol

A new press release from state House contender Hill Fitzgerald:

Republican 77th Assembly District candidate Jill Fitzgerald today pledged to work with Governor Rell, members of the city’s legislative delegation, local elected officials, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism to promote Bristol’s cultural and recreational attractions to encourage more tourists to visit the city.
“Bristol has a wide variety of cultural and recreational attractions that could make the city significantly more attractive to visitors if they were promoted more aggressively – both elsewhere in Connecticut and throughout the northeastern part of the United States,” Fitzgerald said. “Bristol has unique cultural assets such as the Carousel, Clock and military museums, recreational assets such as historic Lake Compounce, the A. Bartlett Giamatti Little League Center; the Barnes and Indian Rock Nature Centers and the Hoppers, which has an extensive system of hiking trails that rival any in the state.”
“Bristol also is home to ESPN, the largest all-sports network in the country, and popular annual events like the Mum Festival,” Fitzgerald said. “The problem is that most of the attractions that make our city such a great place to live, work and raise a family aren’t well known outside of our corner of the state. I believe that a more aggressive effort on the part of the Commission’s Tourism Division to promote Bristol could significantly increase the number of visitors to our city.”
“If Bristol becomes a more widely recognized tourist destination, it would mean more people patronizing local restaurants and other businesses, stimulating the local economy, and creating more jobs,” Fitzgerald said. “One of my most important goals if I am elected as the 77th District’s new state representative will be to convince the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism that Bristol has the potential to be a significant visitor destination that will bring more dollars into our state – if the agency’s tourism division makes more of an effort to promote our city and the attractions we have to offer.”
The Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism’s Tourism Division works to make tourism a leading economic contributor and a source of pride for Connecticut. The division partners with the Connecticut business community and five regional tourism districts to position the state, encourage strategic investment and ensure that Connecticut is a prime destination for leisure and business travelers. The division offers a broad range of services, includi ng mar keting, research, hospitality services, direct sales and business marketing assistance. The division operates Connecticut's six Welcome Centers.

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