Annual Work Plan 2009
The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council is the state-designated
tourism planning and development agency for the cities of Central
Falls, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, and the towns of Cumberland, Lincoln,
North Smithfield, Smithfield, Burrillville and Glocester, Rhode
Island, USA.
The Tourism Council is a not-for-profit organization incorporated in
1985. It produces Program-Driven-Marketing capability to the
organizations and communities of the Blackstone River Valley.
The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council serves Rhode Island and the
Blackstone Valley National Heritage Corridor communities with
resilient, sustainable, Geotourism-based, whole place tourism
development programs that integrate resident needs to enhance and
protect the character, environment, culture, heritage, aesthetics
and businesses of the Blackstone River Valley.
General Programs and Projects
Ongoing
- Operate the Educational Vessel “Blackstone
Valley Explorer” in Central Falls and Woonsocket
- Work with St. Ann's Arts and Cultural Center's
Board of Directors on their initiative to develop the Center
- Operate the Samuel Slater Canal Boat as a Bed
and Breakfast as well as offering tea tours and chartered river
tours
- Manage the Blackstone Valley Heritage Golf
Tournament at Crystal Lake Country Club in Burrillville
- Operate Blackstone Valley Scenic Railway Fall
Foliage Excursion to Putnam, Connecticut
- Operate 12 Blackstone Valley Polar Express rail
excursions from Ann and Hope in Cumberland
- Coordinate the Blackstone Valley Tourism
Council Annual Reception, Awards Ceremony and Auction at Twin
River Event Center
- Participate in the Blackstone Partnership
Tourism Collaborative
- Continue to work with Smithfield on their “Plan
to Plan” initiative
- Celebrate United Nations World Tourism Day in
September
- Participate in the “Footsteps in History” event
- Continue to build the Blackstone Valley Tourism
Network within the Valley’s tourism sector
- Further develop the American Heritage River
Guide Program
- Manage the Rhode Island Chinese Dragon Boat and
Taiwan Day Festivals in conjunction with the Pawtucket Arts
Festival
- Further develop the Chinese Dumpling Eating
Contest in conjunction with the Taiwan Day Festival
- Assist with the production of Pawtucket’s
Colombian Independence Day Festival.
- Manage the Rhode Island Rivers Day celebration
- Offer paid advertising opportunities in the
Visitor Centers in Lincoln and Pawtucket
- Work with colleges and universities educating
students in tourism planning and development
- Promote and expand the “Travel Experiences”
Trade Show
- Continue to develop additional itineraries for
the Blackstone Valley Elderhostel program
- Continue to promote the Blackstone Valley Canoe
and Bicycle Trail programs
- Work to reformat the financial responsibilities
of Water Cruises of Rhode Island
- Support tourism development programs for all
Blackstone Valley communities
- Continue to develop promotional public
relations programs for Blackstone Valley communities
- Work with the Rhode Island Committee on
Agricultural Promotion and Education to further the efforts of
Blackstone Valley agricultural sites
- Continue to chair the Tour Rhode Island
“There's No Place Like Home” event
- Collaborate with federal, state, local,
non-profit and/or for-profit agencies for the benefit of tourism
programs in the communities in the Blackstone Valley
- Participate in conferences and educational
opportunities that benefit the mission of the Tourism Council
and educate the staff to better serve the Blackstone Valley
- Continue to present at the Business Enterprises
for Sustainable Tourism Educational Network Think Tank
- Continue to develop additional interpretive
educational programs for the “Blackstone Valley Explorer” vessel
in Central Falls, Woonsocket and Manville
- Continue to work with the Blackstone River
Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission with required
Non-Governmental-Organization
assisted projects
- Work with City of Central Falls to complete the
Central Falls Landing Project
- Work with City of Central Falls to finalize
repair of the Landing Docks for full accessibility
- Continue to work with the “Fresh Beginnings”
program and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation and
local communities in the design and construction of the
Manville, Lincoln, Pawtucket, North Smithfield and Woonsocket
Landings to complete the Blackstone River and Canal Navigation
and Transportation System
- Continue to work with Providence Piers Company
in decreasing the balance on the M/V Hope
- Continue working with the VISTA program to
build the Keep the Blackstone Valley Beautiful as a “Keep
America Beautiful” affiliate
- Promote “VolunTourism” programs for the
Blackstone Valley
- Continue development of Eventblackstone.com web
site
- Continue to work with the City of Woonsocket on
their Commuter Rail study
- Work with the Preservation Society of
Smithfield on the restoration of the Smithfield Bank building
- Continue working with the Woonsocket Main
Street Riverfront Initiative
- Further develop the Blackstone Valley
Advertising Collaborative
- Further develop the Blackstone Valley Visitor
Information Distribution Services
- Continue “Events of the Week” program for the
Blackstone Valley of Rhode Island
- Implement recommendations of the .Sbest United
Nations World Tourism Organization Certification
- Work to insure that the proposed privately
operated construction and debris facilities proposed for
Pawtucket and Cumberland find more suitable locations for their
operations
- Expand volunteer support at the Blackstone
Valley Visitor Center in Lincoln
- Continue to manage the Blackstone River State
Park Visitor Services desk
- Develop the Blackstone Alert program along the
Blackstone Valley National Heritage Corridor
- Continue to support the Blackstone Valley
Celtic Festival produced by Cumberland’s Pendragon
- Develop more programs and a Marketing Plan for
the Sustainable Tourism Planning and Development Laboratory
- Promote the International Restaurant Brochure
in conjunction with Diningquest.com
- Enhance “Tour of the Week” program for Group
Tour Operators interested in visiting the Blackstone Valley
- Work with the Providence and Worcester Railroad
to encourage wheelchair accessibility aboard the Blackstone
Valley Scenic Railroad tours
- Work with the Town of Cumberland to market
their publication: "Cumberland by the Blackstone"
- Work, in conjunction with the State of Rhode
Island and the regional tourism district managers, to promote
Rhode Island as a tourism destination
- Work, in conjunction with the Blackstone Valley
National Heritage Corridor and the Blackstone Valley Chamber of
Commerce, to promote the Blackstone Valley as a destination
- Attend the American Bus Association Trade
Exchanges and other appropriate organized Group Travel Exchanges
- Work to produce an Official Blackstone Valley
Visitor Guide
- Enrich each of the Blackstone Valley Tourism
Council web sites
- Work in concert with the RI Department of
Economic Development’s Tourism Division in develop a Satellite
Tourism Accounting System for Rhode Island
- Promote awards won by the Council such as the
Ulysses Prize from the UNWTO and the Destination for Tomorrow
Award from the World Travel and Tourism Council
- Promote the consultation work available through
the Sustainable Tourism Planning and Development Laboratory
-
Augment the Blackstone Valley on-line shop
New
- Develop the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame
- Create the Rhode Island Cherry Blossom Festival
- Develop the Soup-Sandwich and Studio Artist
Trail
- Improve the PictureBlackstone.com web site -
the digital photo archive of and for the Blackstone Valley
- Seek a new method of operating the three
Blackstone Valley riverboats that will be in the best financial
interest of the Tourism Council and the Blackstone Valley
- Implement a Spring and Autumn Sustainable
Tourism Laboratory
- Partner with Town of Cumberland and Cumberland
Office of Children as an educational support partner as they
develop a new educational program
- Work with the Cities of Central Falls,
Pawtucket and the Town of Cumberland in seeking a manager for
the Broad Street Regeneration program funded by Preserve America
- Work as one of the Resilient Partners defining
and developing Resilient Tourism
- Develop a Manufacturers' Tour of the Blackstone
Valley in collaboration with the Rhode Island Economic
Development Corporation and the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of
Commerce
- Build up the Blackstone Valley “Carbon
Footprint Campaign” for visitors, businesses and residents to
make the Blackstone Valley more environmentally conscious
- Support legislation - "No Child Left Inside"
sponsored by Senator Reed for Environmental Education
Programming
- Work with the Town of Cumberland to develop
their first Riverfront Development Plan
- Develop “Sam Patch” Day in Pawtucket
- Develop the Blackstone Valley Cultural Heritage
Trail
- Develop a "How to Discover the Blackstone River
Valley" tour
- Continue to research the viability of the
Blackstone Valley Cajun Music Festival
- Work to create a Blackstone Valley
Recreation/Environmental/Art/Cultural/ and Historic/Network
- Develop the Blackstone Alert Summit to
understand the flood situations along the Blackstone River so as
to mitigate future damage
- Work with MBA students to create a printed
history of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council
- Develop a long-term debt-reduction program
- Dispose of surplus property
- Pilot and develop the Dunn Foundation “View
Finders Visual Pollution” Program to area school teachers
- Develop a Blackstone Valley “Eco-lab Discovery”
Program and other educational programs to include the vital
river ecosystem and river history
- Work with partners, such as the Rhode Island
Audubon Society, to develop interpretive programs to engage and
educate the general public to the historic, natural and cultural
resources in the Valley and to develop new and innovative
experiences aboard the “Blackstone Valley Explorer” vessel.
International
- Continue international development of tourism
partnerships with England, Taiwan and China
- Participate in international promotion of the
Blackstone Valley with Discover New England program, and the
Official New England Information Center in Quebec
- Support the United Nations World Tourism
Organization on their sustainable tourism initiatives
Front-line Visitor Service
- Continue management of the Blackstone Valley
Visitor Center in Pawtucket
- Continue to coordinate the Rhode Island
Department of Environmental Management Visitor Center at the
Blackstone River State Park on Interstate Rte. 295 Northbound
- Implement hospitality training to all personnel
and volunteers Geotourism Planning
- Complete development plan for Central Falls
Riverfront revitalization
- Update 1992 Blackstone Valley Comprehensive
Regional Tourism Plan
- Continue investigating ways to develop a NGS
Map Guide to highlight the natural, historic and cultural assets
of the Blackstone Valley
- Promote the earned .Sbest Certification earned
from the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s
Certification for Excellence in Destination Management
Legislative Actions
- Collaborate with Rhode Island tourism districts
to maintain current or a better form of tourism district
management that supports local community input in
decision-making
- Using private funds contract a government
affairs agent to assist in matters relating to state legislative
affairs
Headquarters Operations
- Continue to upgrade office technology
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