Go To Florida, Says Ithaca’s Tourism Board
Ithaca, New York is fed up with the snow and cold.
It is so fed up, its tourism office is sending folks to Florida.
Web visitors who went to VisitIthaca.com, the tourism website run by the Ithaca Convention & Visitors Bureau, were met with this message, until it was taken down Tuesday afternoon: “That’s it. We surrender. Winter, you win. Key West anyone?’’
Bruce Stoff, director of the Ithaca Convention & Visitors Bureau, told CNN, “Everyone in the Northeast is beaten by winter now, and we’re dreaming of being someplace that is warm.’’
But to send visitors to the Florida Keys when it’s your job to attract them to Ithaca? It’s a move that has stunned some industry professionals.
A spokesperson for the Florida Keys Tourism Council told CNN it’s “the wackiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life from a tourism marketing standpoint.’’
Florida’s tourism council wasn’t complaining, though. When Stoff got in touch to ask permission to use photos of the Florida Keys homepage, Florida’s tourism council was quick to oblige, reported CNN. And then it shared the image on Twitter:
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Here was the rest of Ithaca’s message, posted beside images of palm trees and sun: “Due to this ridiculously stupid winter, Ithaca invites you to visit The Florida Keys this week. Please come back when things thaw out. Really, it’s for the birds here now.’’
Here’s what Ithaca looks like right now. Cornell University posted this photo yesterday:
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Christina Barton has lived in Ithaca for six years. Amused by the tourism board’s message, she posted it on her Facebook page. Was she offended by it? Not at all, she told Boston.com, writing, “I love Ithaca, but I’m over winter. I live for the beautiful summers here, they (sort of-kind of) make winter (maybe) worth it!’’
Meanwhile, over at the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism website, the top of the page reads:
Is there a word that means, ‘everything mind-blowingly amazing in one beautiful, welcoming place?’ No? Well, guess we can’t describe Massachusetts in one word. Let’s just say, it’s all here.
Even after about 90-plus inches of snow, biting blizzard winds, and an impaired MBTA, we’re still stating our awesomeness.
So suck it up, New York!
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