Jul. 21--CUMBERLAND -- Barb Buehl moved up through the ranks at AT&T with a frankness that might have surprised, if not astounded, some veterans of the business with long-held views that no news is better than good news.

And Buehl's quarterly tourism report to the Allegany County commissioners during a work session Thursday began with words of warning, followed by a steady flow of good news, bad news.

"I have to be honest," Buehl said at the start of her presentation, "I wasn't sure whether this would be a good report or not. It turned out to be positive news."

Mostly, anyway.

Buehl said tourism bureaus across the state are reporting as much as 25 percent fewer visitors from previous years. A few years ago, Allegany County began marketing to down state residents of Mountain Maryland's wonders just "half a tank away."

"That really paid off this year because that is what's working," and helping to counter the industry's downtown in the rest of the state, Buehl told the commissioners.

The success of certain events, including an antique car show at Rocky Gap State Park and DelFest at the county fairgrounds, have people looking to the area for more entertainment. Where they're looking is on the Internet, Buehl said, where marketing money is "where we found we're getting our biggest bang for the buck."

Two new marketing efforts also are paying off, Buehl said. Tourism officials have purchased cable television spots on HGTV, on a home and garden show, and Spike TV, on an action-adventure show geared toward men.

It was "a risk," Buehl said, but "the numbers show it was worth" the cost.

Online marketing spots in Hagerstown and Altoona, Pa. -- two markets that typically were skipped in favor of places farther away -- have fared well, too.

"People are looking for things to do in their backyard," Buehl said. "People still like small-town charm."

To date, Buehl said, Web-based inquiries are up more than 50 percent -- with a 6.3 percent increase in local hotel/motel sales tax revenue.

Dollar sales-to-date for the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad are up, too, even though overall ridership is down. Themed train rides, such as the murder mystery trips and the holiday excursions, attract a smaller crowd, Buehl said, but have a better profit margin.

"And that's what we care about, is the bottom line," Buehl said.

That bottom line could be affected as early as this fall. Buehl said the current campaign pre-empts the fall marketing budget and could have an impact on the ability to attract visitors later this year.

"Our funding is flat, our resources are full (and) our workload is getting bigger," Buehl said, noting the new partnership with Canal Place Preservation & Development Authority.

She said there are "tough choices" in the near future on how to promote growing product lines with "flat local funding for both manpower and advertising."

The commissioners, quiet throughout the presentation, seemed to accept the report as generally good news.

"It's always good to hear positive things," Commissioner Jim Stakem said.

Said Commissioner Bob Hutcheson: "I like the idea of Canal Place and (county) tourism working together."

Buehl's entire report can be viewed by clicking here.

Contact Kevin Spradlin at kspradlin@times-news.com.

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