Dutchess Tourism Focusing on Community and Boosting Economies
A Gem in the Hudson Valley
Dutchess County New York is home to about 300,000 residents, and has become a popular destination for tourists due to its natural beauty, historic sites, and vibrant cultural scene. The county offers a mix of outdoor activities, charming small towns, art galleries, wineries, as well as a number of historical landmarks, making it an appealing destination for a wide range of travelers from New York City and beyond.
Proximity to NYC
The accessibility is unmatched. With a travel time of about 1.5 to 2 hours by car or train, The Metro-North Railroad connects Poughkeepsie and other towns in the county to Grand Central Terminal in the Big Apple making it an attractive weekend getaway for city-goers.
This week on In Touch, we spoke with Melanie Rottkamp, the President and CEO of Dutchess County Tourism. Melaine and I discussed what went on this past year in Dutchess County, some upcoming plans, as well as the transition local tourism faces with the upcoming cold winter months.
Credit to: Dutchess Tourism Instagram
We also dove into how Dutchess Tourism works to make attractions in the area accessible to everyone visiting. It can be difficult appealing to a wide-ranging audience, but Melaine and her team make efforts to speak with people coming to the area to get ideas of what they like to do.
“Everyone likes different things, and when we have the opportunity to talk with people, we find out what they like to do and go from there. A family of 5 with young kids, I’m probably not going to suggest going to the theater, or a fine dining restaurant, but maybe one of the many farms with animals and other family friendly activities, which there are plenty of!” explained Rottkamp.
Challenges During the Pandemic
Melaine took over as President and CEO right in the middle of the pandemic in July of 2020, and faced some new challenges in an already new position. The previous CEO announced their retirement in February of that year, before the start of the COVID lockdown.
“It was hard, a lot of people thought, well there’s no tourists coming to the area, so you have nothing to do. It couldn’t be further from the truth. We had more work than we’ve ever did! We had to learn the guidelines and regulations to help restaurants, theaters, historic sights, outdoor venues and farms. It was intense to be that support for them, but it was so important to us because we care so much about the people. We had to work together and thats what we did.” Melaine told In Touch.
Community Minded
Dutchess Tourism always keeps community in mind and worked through the height of the pandemic to support local businesses and organizations in the area who needed assistance.
“We worked with our corporate partners, to help in their employee newsletters by letting them know what’s available, what's open, what can they do? We did talks at lunchtimes to help people figure out wellness, how to get out and how to exercise.” explained Rottkamp.
Tourism Boosts Local Economies
Melaine and I also discussed the beneficial economic impact tourism has on the area.
“In 2023 we know that visitors to Dutchess County spent $756 million in our economy. So if you think about our restaurants, 19% of all spending that happens at our restaurants comes from visitors. If they went away, so would a lot of our favorite restaurants, so it’s important for people to understand the incredible economic impact tourism brings to the community.” said Rottkamp.
Accessibility for all was the overall message from Melaine in this conversation. Dutchess Tourism makes it their mission to attract to a broad audience, regardless of income, or where you come from.
Visit them at dutchesstourism.com and check out the event calendar to see what's happening right now, and some upcoming events for the holiday season!
More From WRRV-WRRB
