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AAA Localizing its Travel Magazine

By David Robinson

February 18, 2011
 
 The AAA of Western and Central New York's travel magazine is going local.

The auto club has revamped the magazine that it sends each quarter to more than 575,000 member households to focus on local and regional travel destinations, rather than far-flung tourist spots, like the Caribbean or Europe.

"The great lion's share of the focus is on attractions right here in our area," said Thomas Chestnut, the president and chief executive officer of the AAA of Western and Central New York. "Many people know of Niagara Falls, but they don't know about the many wonderful things within a 30-minute drive."

Local tourism officials said they were pleased with the switch, especially since the slumping economy has prompted more people to scale back their travel plans in favor of less-elaborate vacations closer to home.

John Percy, the president and chief executive officer of Niagara Tourism and Convention Corp., noted that 78 percent of visitors to Niagara County come by car, and most of those come from within a two- to three-hour drive.

"Central New York is a real opportunity for us," said Dottie Gallagher-Cohen, the president and chief executive officer of the Buffalo Niagara Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"For us, telling that story and getting it out is really important," she said. "The half million, or so, people who are getting this magazine will be interested in travel."

The first issue of the renamed Member Connection magazine has been arriving in members' mailboxes over the last week. The inaugural issue features a photo of Buffalo City Hall on the cover and an article highlighting the "Best of Buffalo." Other stories focus on the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, the Corning Museum of Glass and the George Eastman House in Rochester.

AAA is supplementing the magazine with additional content that is available to members online, including a "hidden gems" feature that will allow local tourism officials to highlight regional attractions that may not be widely known, Chestnut said.

The new magazine will replace the Going Places publication that members previously received. That magazine was produced in conjunction with other AAA chapters and most of the articles were generated elsewhere, Chestnut said.

"We really weren't putting enough emphasis" on local destinations, he said.

drobinson@buffnews.com null