Electronic kiosks set up to lure visitors

Bonacic provides funding

By FRITZ MAYER

NEW YORK STATE - You’re finishing up a night at Bethel Woods or checking out an exhibit at the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA) gallery, but what’s after that?

Tourism officials hope that visitors will log onto the new electronic kiosks that are being placed at tourist destinations throughout Sullivan, Delaware and Ulster counties. Visitors are able to see the attractions the region has to offer, print out directions on how to get there and make reservations, all from what Senator John Bonacic calls “state of the art E-Kiosks.”

Bonacic, who secured the funding for the project and unveiled the kiosks at Sullivan County Government Center last week, said, “Current information about what’s going on in the Catskills will encourage people who are here already, to stay longer. You might come to the region for Bethel Woods, but you should stay for our food, our unique shops, our skiing, our golf, our mountains and rivers. In the 21st century, we can’t have visitors waiting until local tourism offices open in the morning to find out what else they can do.”

Sullivan County Visitors Association (SCVA) President and CEO Roberta Byron-Lockwood, who worked closely with Bonacic to develop the project said, “The traditional tourism model had visitors plan their trips in advance, mapping out each stop. Technology has changed that. We have the ability to let visitors know, up to the minute, what is happening in our region.”

One of the kiosks is up and running at the DVAA in Narrowsburg, and another is on line at Monticello Raceway. Elaine Giguere, DVAA executive director, said she didn’t think the kiosk at the raceway would entice people there to go to the art gallery in Narrowsburg, but she did say the kiosks are a “good tool for visitors.”

Websites of SCVA-member businesses, and corresponding agencies in Delaware and Ulster counties, are automatically accessible through the kiosks.

Beyond the DVAA and the raceway, the kiosks will be placed at some rest areas on the New York Thruway and at Bethel Woods. Other locations are being determined and all kiosks are expected to be in place in the next few weeks.

The kiosks can be easily transported. Byron-Lockwood said they would be moved around if usage at one site does not meet expectations.

Ten kiosks, which cost approximately $6,000 each, have been purchased to date. Approximately $40,000 in one-time computer costs was also invested in the program, making the total project cost $100,000.