Tourism looking good in mid-July
Jul. 22—The start of the summer tourist season has gone well in Ashtabula County but the weather has created a couple of challenges, according to tourism officials.
Ashtabula County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Stephanie Siegel said things are going well but clouds of smoke from Canadian wildfires didn't help in June.
"The weather hasn't been great," Siegel said.
One of the highlights has been an increase in the amount of smaller boarding units, such as bed-and-breakfast operations, which now number more than 300.
Siegel said the bureau has been promoting small lodging options on social media. She said one operation got more than 450 hits after a video detailing the business was posted.
A trend that grew out of the coronavirus pandemic, traveling with animals, continues. Siegel said a recent event at Debonne Vineyards focused on animals and their owners was packed.
Tourism officials are already looking forward to April 8, 2024 when an eclipse is expected to be especially visible in Ashtabula County. Siegel said tourism officials are trying to encourage people interested in the event to come prior to the eclipse and stay afterward.
"People are going to come in from all over the world," she said.
The new Geneva-on-the-Lake Convention and Visitor's Bureau has seen significant traffic since opening in May.
"People are popping in and out all the time," Siegel said.
A "Family Fun Trail" has been successful in guiding 150 families to GOTL businesses.
Festivals are also a big part of the tourism experience in Ashtabula County.
"Our phones have been ringing off the hook for the Wine & Walleye [Festival]," she said.
Kathy and Mark Hendrick, of Eastlake, are regular visitors to GOTL.
"This is one of our favorite places for a quick [getaway]," Kathy said while strolling the Strip.
She said the couple gets to GOTL several times a season and sometimes in the winter.
Mary Allison, a tourism assistant at the GOTLCVB, said people love the information they received at the center.
"I would say 20 to 30 people on the average [visit the office a day]," said Jennifer Downey, a tourism manager at the ACCVB and is responsible for staffing at the GOTL Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Windy weather has been a bit of a challenge at Harbor Yak in Ashtabula, said assistant manager Brianna Eggleston. The business rents boats, paddle boards and kayaks.
She said business has been good but slowed some by the windy weather.
"When it gets too windy you don't want to put people on the river," Eggleston said.
Conneaut boat traffic has been going well with only a few slowdowns also due to windy weather.
Terri Trisket, administrative assistant at the Conneaut Port Authority, said 264 docks are rented representing 80 percent of available docks. She said a new kayak rental business has opened in Conneaut Harbor as well.
The single-day dock fees to put boats in the water at Conneaut Public Dock are up this year as well, said Mike Bartone who works at the office that collects the $8 fee.
He said there have been 3,000 boat entry fees collected, which is ahead of last year's numbers and many of them are not Ohio residents.
"It's all Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York and even Kentucky," Bartone said.
He said on June 25 there were 123 boaters at the ramp.
"The Fourth of July holiday was pretty crazy," he said. "People want to be by the water."
