EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: What has Northwest Indiana done to attract tourists?

The South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority will be 30 years old on July 1. Throughout my tenure as president/CEO of the organization, we have led the region's hospitality industry in a wide array of issues, and I can assure you we have no intention of resting on our laurels now.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Tourists view Northwest Indiana as one region

One Region inspires leaders to think regionally and beyond their boundaries. It aims to get our communities to use the limited resources of tax money and time to maximize economic development and job creation.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Tourism efforts in region pay dividends

This week is National Tourism week. As residents and taxpayers of the South Shore, please take a moment to consider the importance of the hospitality industry and its positive economic impact to the economy.

GUEST COMMENTARY: Unified regional voice will propel travel, tourism

Indiana's South Shore, the area between Chicago and New Buffalo, offers attractions, beaches along the Lake Michigan shoreline, restaurants and thousands of hotel rooms for travelers. More than $247 million in wages (in the Lake County alone) are directly dependent on the hospitality industr…

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Statewide smoking ban could boost tourism

As the voice of Northwest Indiana's hospitality industry, the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority once again will head to Indianapolis to support smoke-free Indiana legislation.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Ask school board to wait until Labor Day

Aug. 11, 2011. That is when Griffith students returned to school. Can you imagine? The economic impact of earlier and earlier school start dates has negative consequences on our families, local businesses and the hospitality industry.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Rediscover NWI's wonderful attractions

As residents and taxpayers of the South Shore, we've learned the importance of the hospitality industry and depend on its positive impact to the economy. We can also see the difference when travel decreases, occupancy rates go down, once-thriving restaurants close and parking lots become vac…

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Visitors create jobs, sustain region's economy

Pierogi Fest in Whiting, Festival of the Lakes in Hammond, Hometown Festival Days in Crown Point and Gary's South Shore Air Show bring in hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. These destination events represent and improve the overall image of the South Shore. Providing safe, fun and …

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Tourism marketing efforts have gone digital

In order to further entrench our organization in digital and online marketing, the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority eliminated the annual (printed), 64-page Visitor's Guide. It was a difficult decision, but we realized a printed guide was never going to be dynamic or "real time"…

Sports marketing brings visitors to the region

Now, more than ever, American families are cutting traditional leisure travel from their budgets and rethinking major purchasing decisions. The recent AP-Gfk poll reported only 42 percent of American's will take a leisure trip this summer and one-third of those surveyed have already canceled…

Regional bus service offers poor investment

In these poor economic times, shouldn't the region focus on job creation? Shouldn't economic stimulus organizations be advocating projects that put our citizens back to work in order to create a healthier economy?

Keep tabs on hospitality bills in Legislature

As the 2009 legislative session nears, there will be much talk about policies and programs to improve South Shore communities.

This year's air show will be the best ever

Many residents might not realize the historic significance of aviation to the beaches of Lake Michigan. More than 100 years ago, before the steel mills and tourism existed in Indiana, the Grandfather of Flight, Octave Chanute, successfully tested his flying machine on the sand dunes of Marqu…

Businesses see wisdom of our tourism strategy

The cost of gasoline is impacting the prices of everything we consume and changing how families prioritize financial decisions.

Supporting airport, airline is vital to growth

As oil prices climb and we are faced with rising costs of consumer goods and services, we all must adjust our spending habits.

South Shore extensions would benefit Olympic bid, create commerce for NWI

One of the responsibilities of the president of the Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau is to look to the future. While there are many pressing current issues, I still spend some time each day thinking of what the South Shore of 10 to 15 years from now could be like, and how I can hel…

Convention center would help bring jobs, dollars

There has been much talk about a proposed convention center in Lake County.

We're making Gary's South Shore Air Show even better

The beaches of Lake Michigan's "south shore" are being prepared to host more than 500,000 visitors for the thrilling air show performances of Gary's South Shore Air Show on Saturday and Sunday. Through the partnership of the City of Gary, the Gary Jet Center and the Lake County Convention an…

Customer drives tourism market here

During the past year there has been much discussion about regionalism and the need for increased cooperation in order to maximize economic development through tourism. The Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Indiana's second largest travel/tourism organization, has long advocated tha…

Take these actions before raising taxes

Hometowns don't matter, at least in Lake County.

Look to the future instead of being shackled by past

What will it take for our communities to be attractive enough to keep our children here? What are the opportunities our counties have missed for 40 years? Will Northwest Indiana keep doing what it always has done and allow itself to be consumed by parochialism and turf protection? Or will it…

Convention center will be economic boon

In the coming months, there will be discussion about building a convention center or multi-use facility in Lake County. On behalf of the $837 million hospitality industry and its 25,000 employees, the Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau will strongly advocate this project.

New slogan will get tourists' motors running

"Restart Your Engines" was born out of hundreds of hours of research. This included spending time with consumers in key markets such as Chicago, Cincinnati, Louisville and Indiana.