By Delainey Muscato
St. Bonaventure University
While Jamestown might not be ideal for a tropical vacation or a full day of rollercoaster rides, it does have a lot to offer those who are looking for a low key, relaxing weekend getaway. I spoke with Urban Core Director at The Jamestown Renaissance Corporation (JRC), Frank Besse, about plans to increase tourism patterns in Jamestown. As he’s lived in Jamestown for 10 years, Besse is excited to help bring more tourists to the area so they can enjoy everything the city has to offer. Besse is also co-owner of Labyrinth Press Company & Brazil Craft Beer and Wine Lounge on E. 4th Street in Jamestown.
The Jamestown Renaissance Corporation (JRC) is focused on supporting local businesses to help increase tourism, “The JRC works in neighborhood revitalization and downtown economic development. We award grants to business owners and property owners”. In addition to the businesses they work with, Besse explained how the JRC communicates with city organizations, “We coordinate work with the city, Chamber of Commerce, Visitor’s Bureau, and other partners”. Jamestown already has quite a few interesting attractions to pull in tourists. In addition to being near gorgeous Chautauqua Lake, Besse also told me about, “the National Comedy Center. We also have a large dual pad ice arena that is very popular for locals, but also a lot of regional hockey or ice-skating competitions. We have the Robert H. Jackson Center which celebrates the Supreme Court Justice that’s from Jamestown and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute for Roger Tory Peterson who is a preeminent naturalist of the 20th century. And we are the hometown of Lucille Ball, so we have the Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz museum. And all of that is near the downtown of Jamestown which is a nationally recognized historic district for its architectural significance. It’s walkable and inviting. We have a variety of retail shops and restaurants. So, it’s really all of those things working together that create a dynamic visit to Jamestown”.
These bigger attractions might pull people from farther away, but it’s the local, small-town element that will help people remember their visit to Jamestown. “When people go on a trip, they want to talk about the cool museums, nature, and city they went to and what makes that more remarkable is the great local art gallery they visited, the cute retail shop they went to, or the delicious meal they had. Those are the main street businesses that we work with” Besse said. Keeping these local businesses alive is really what will help Jamestown be known as a fun, authentic community with lots to do. Besse says one of the best ways to do that is to verbally share with others, “I’m a big proponent of word of mouth. A lot of people come through this area and they’re going to ask the hospitality workers what’s good in Jamestown because they want to know what that place is like. Just being available for those impromptu conversations is a great way for community members to help. But more important is supporting those local businesses so they stay open”.
Besse says the JRC is aware that tourism is only one part of how a city functions and it can’t be allowed to grow uncontrolled, “A healthy economy has many sectors. Tourism, hospitality, manufacturing, healthcare, education, all these different factors. I think that there would be concern of tourism growing to be too large in the pie, but if the entire pie is growing, that’s good. The thing we’re going to watch out for is being too dependent on tourism or too dependent on a single season”. And while they do want tourism to grow, it can’t be the only focus for the city in the future. “We need to create and foster the experiences that local residents enjoy and cherish. Those experiences are what tourists seek and are the most sustainable for a community to create and maintain. I think having those authentic experiences is important for a place like Jamestown. Tourists can tell when something is just a gimmick to get a tourist dollar. Those places aren’t fun to live in. You don’t have to accommodate tourists at the cost of your own community’s integrity”. Besse is looking forward to the future of tourism in Jamestown as well as maintaining a great environment for the residents who enjoy the small-town aspects of the city.