Buffalo – In coordination with National Travel and Tourism Week (May 7-13) and as members of the New York State Assembly Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development, Assemblymember Jon D. Rivera will welcome Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell (69th District, Manhattan), chair of the NYS Assembly Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development, to Buffalo this week.

Assemblymember O’Donnell’s visit to Western New York offers a prime opportunity to enhance tourism both in Buffalo and across New York State. This growing sector has unlimited potential to stimulate economic growth, create quality job opportunities, and contribute to maintaining vibrant communities. As part of that potential, state investment remains a key vehicle in enhancing tourism initiatives.

Daniel O’Donnell, the first openly gay man elected to the New York State Assembly, has been a progressive voice advocating fair and sensible legislation since he was elected in 2002.

As Chair of the Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development, Assemblymember O’Donnell has worked to ensure proper funding and a fair playing field for New York State’s network of artists, attractions, and natural treasures. Since taking over the Committee, O’Donnell has successfully increased funding for the New York State Council on the Arts, negotiated stronger regulations for the ticket re-selling industry, and passed legislation promoting tourism to NYS Parks and historic businesses. 

O’Donnell’s visit to Buffalo arrives at a time in which the city’s arts and cultural scene are undergoing a monumental transformation, which has provided dividends for the local economy. In 2021, $1.76 billion dollars in traveler spending occurred in Erie County, generating $209 million in tax revenue. 

In its three-year Strategic Plan, regional tourism agency Visit Buffalo Niagara released a tourism blueprint, which includes a target of 9 million visits and a $2 billion economic impact by 2024.

Across a three-day tour of the city (May 11-13), Assemblymember Rivera will accompany Assemblymember O’Donnell to various landmarks and iconic Buffalo institutions, including but not limited to:

• Shea’s Performing Arts Center
• Darwin Martin House
• Big Ditch Brewing Co.
• Richardson Olmsted Campus
• Niagara Falls State Park
• Canalside
• Buffalo FilmWorks
• Buffalo AKG Art Museum

The Buffalo tourism tour represents the first opportunity to redefine the portrayal and conditions of tourism in a post-COVID world, and to set the terms of a new economic trajectory within the travel, leisure and service sectors.

Following their stop in Buffalo, Assemblymembers Rivera and O’Donnell will continue onward to cities throughout New York State as they seek new and expanding opportunities to boost tourism initiatives that will contribute to building more vibrant, diverse communities.

Assemblymember Jon D. Rivera said, “The ongoing rebirth of Buffalo’s arts and cultural scene is a constant reminder of our city’s inexorable ability to punch above its weight class. This tour is an opportunity to showcase the tireless labor, commitment and resiliency that has gone into that rebirth, and it is my hope that it will both serve as a commemoration of how far our region has come, and will also provide an optimistically stark hint of our unlimited potential to be tapped in the coming years.”

Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell said, “I am excited to travel with Assemblymember Rivera and experience the iconic landmarks and establishments in Western New York. State funding is essential to enriching tourism initiatives, and I am proud that this year's budget increased funding for the arts and invested in our parks and other tourist destinations. With the continued support of Assemblymember Rivera, Assemblymember Crystal D. People-Stokes, and State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid, I believe we can continue expanding these vibrant attractions across New York.”

Patrick Kaler, President and CEO of Visit Buffalo Niagara, said, “The open designs of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum and Centennial Park were a response to the desires of the citizens who live here. The ideas people expressed at community meetings shaped these new regional constellations. Now is the time to celebrate our good work and all the public spaces, restaurants and ways of exploring and sharing our beautiful home on the lake. Get the word out. And get ready for a memorable, and spectacular, summer.”

To learn more about Visit Buffalo Niagara, visit https://www.visitbuffaloniagara.com/.