Lancaster Forms Tourism Bureau To Boost Economy

The City of Lancaster moved forward with its ambitious plan to stimulate its economy with the formation of a tourism and visitor’s bureau that will bring in needed dollars for hotels, restaurants and area attractions. Destination Lancaster as of yet has no office, no staff, no brochures or pamphlets or an online presence. That will all change as a committee made up of representatives from the city, the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds and area businesses that cater to tourists begins to brainstorm on ideas for the short and long term – that the city and the greater Antelope Valley area has a lot to offer. “There is still a barrier, a perception to those living in greater Los Angeles area that Palmdale and Lancaster is too far,” said Randy Miranda, the general manager of the Hampton Inn and Suites and a member of the committee. “If we show there are attractions to get away from the busyness of the city a lot more people would be exposed to it.” Establishing a tourism bureau was among the projects contained in the city’s economic stimulus plan that went into effect earlier this year. In that plan gift cards were offered for shopping at city retailers; vehicle registration rebates given on new car and motorcycle purchases; incentives provided to brokers to fill empty industrial and commercial space; and a program to fix up foreclosed homes in deteriorating neighborhoods. Those aspects of the stimulus plan were easier to implement and so they came first, while the city went through a laborious process of setting up the bureau, said Heather Swan, the project coordinator. What followed was establishing the partnership with the Antelope Valley Fair and bringing in the different stakeholders that will benefit from increased tourism and visitors including restaurants the Lemon Leaf and Marie Callender’s; the Hampton Inn; Leona Valley and Antelope Valley wineries; the Antelope Valley Chamber of Commerce; the Lancaster Jethawks minor league baseball team; and hot air ballooning provider Don’s Early Light. Located on the edge of the Mojave Desert, the promotion of outdoor activities will figure in to attracting visitors. The Antelope Valley contains three areas operated by the state park system: the poppy reserve west of Lancaster; Saddleback Butte east of the city; and Red Rocks Canyon north of Mojave. Close by as well is the Devil’s Punchbowl, a park owned by Los Angeles County. The city also looks to take advantage of the big draw of the Lancaster National Soccer Center and perhaps hosting more events at the fairgrounds. Miranda, an assistant wrestling coach, would like to see a wrestling tournament there. There are also places to go dirt biking, skydiving and hot air ballooning. Another draw would be the new aviation museum outside the gates of Edwards Air Force that is now in the planning stages. To Swan, tourism isn’t just limited to out-of-towners and wants to see the bureau market to the locals as well. With families cutting back in spending the message the city wants to send is there is opportunity for recreation nearby. “You don’t have to cancel your family vacation,” Swan said. The Lancaster City Council is scheduled to give formal approval of the bureau in October. The next step is to set up an office at the fairgrounds and then get a website running. Eventually, Swan wants to have the bureau relocate to downtown Lancaster now in the midst of revitalization. “Ultimately it does behoove them to move to a higher density area focused on meeting visitor needs in a retail and cultural hub,” said Josh Mann, the president of The Blvd. Association, a merchant’s group involved with the revitalization effort and executive director of the Antelope Valley Board of Trade. That a tourism bureau hadn’t been created earlier was probably due to the value of tourism dollars not having been accounted for until recently, Mann said. Research by the city has shown that out-of-town visitors are in a wealthier demographic and those are types of people the city wants to attract, Swan said.