The executive director of the Massachusetts Department of Travel and Tourism recently visited several of Franklin County’s tourist attractions in an effort to increase the agency’s presence in the state.
Kate Fox was taken on a whirlwind tour of the county Friday, meeting with business owners and Anne Gobi, a former state senator from Spencer who is now Gov. Maura Healey’s local affairs director. I built a network with him. The tour was facilitated by Jesse Dean, executive director of the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, which operates the Franklin County Regional Tourism Council.
During the WEconomic Development Chamber Breakfast held that morning at Greenfield Community College, Fox explained that his agency is working to increase its presence in the state and recently announced that mentioned that she had been introduced as the director of the “Provincial Fuzhiwat Authority”.
“And I thought, ‘I have a job to do here,'” she said with a laugh.
The Bureau of Travel and Tourism promotes Massachusetts as a year-round leisure and business travel destination. It is part of the state Department of Economic Development and works directly with Massachusetts’ 16 regional tourism councils.
“Tourism is a huge economic driver. Many consider it the third largest industry in the state,” Fox said. “This is difficult to prove because it is not coded as one industry, there are multiple industries such as hotels, lodging, restaurants, activities, attractions, outdoor, etc. [recreation]. It’s a combination of all of those things. But we are a force to be reckoned with. ”
Fox then embarked on a tour of Franklin County businesses, starting with Apex Orchards, co-owned by Tim Smith and Courtney Basil. The caravan included Linda Dunlavy, executive director of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, and Sarah Burrell, marketing manager for the Chamber of Commerce, who spoke about agritourism education and response, and climate change. We talked about how it affects the seasons. Basil said she said there was severe cold during the night of April 25-26, which had a negative impact on some crops in the region.
“Tim and I are praying that, with God’s help, there will be no major damage. We are really lucky here. That’s all thanks to Tim and his very talented cultivation methods. “We hope the damage was minimal.”
Fox and his friends stopped at Yankee Candle Village, Historic Deerfield, and several other spots before visiting some of Finicky Farm’s baby goats at the brewery at Four Star Farms in Northfield. That’s how I ended the day.
“It was a really great opportunity,” Fox said of the tour in an interview Tuesday. “I love Franklin County. There is so much to do, including outdoor recreational opportunities and historical and cultural attractions.”
Contact Domenic Poli at dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.
