New England Nutmegs Connecticut
- Dec 13, 2010, 3:08 PM
- 9 Comments
In a world where the Big Ten conference can have 12 schools, and the Big 12 has 10 schools, why can’t New England have five states?
Discover New England, the “official” tourism bureau for New England, no longer lists Connecticut. The erstwhile state has been deleted from the bureau’s map of the region, which does include New York City and Montreal.
The Associated Press reports the state failed to pay its annual dues:
Discover New England … will no longer promote Connecticut and its attractions. The move comes after Connecticut eliminated its budget for tourism marketing, and was unable to come up with the annual $100,000 fee.
The story gets more complicated, though. According to CTvisit.com, the website for the state’s Commission on Culture and Tourism, Connecticut still exists and is “closer than you think.”
I’ve got calls out.
As an ode to Connecticut, we of the newsroom have compiled a short list of what Connecticut gave us:
- Roger Sherman, co-author, Constitution, Declaration of Independence
- Linda McMahon, executive, World Wrestling Entertainment
- UConn women’s basketball team, poised to break a consecutive win record
- Foxwoods Resort Casino
- George W. Bush
- Benedict Arnold
- John Mayer
WBUR continues to observe Connecticut as one of six New England states.
Previously On Hubbub…
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Hubbub is a blog about what’s happening now in Boston, with contributions from WBUR’s producers and reporters.
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Why don’t you take New York? Heck, you can be like Russia and try to take over the region!
As a New Haven native, let me add that frisbees, hamburgers, interchangeable parts, and the enduring wonder that is Ernest Borgnine all come from my area. The state also can boast Eugene O’Neill, Charles Ives, Wallace Stevens, Noah Webster, and more! A truly fine state that often goes unheralded. Blaggh to Discover New England.
Hi Andrew –
I appreciate your response, but little skepticism was expressed on the show. Instead, the predominate theme was that CT blundered by opting out. An interview with a business owner who thinks he benefits doesn’t justify a $100k expenditure.
Regards,
Steve
Steve, as I mentioned on the show, Discover New England (which bills itself as the “official” tourism bureau for the region) is quasi-official. It is a nonprofit that was created in 1992 with backing from the six states. Each state has its own tourism bureau, but there is no other regional organization I am aware of.
I am also skeptical that tourism websites do much to promote local businesses and attractions, but at least one business owner I interviewed said the marketing helps.
irony = discovernewengland.com is owned by a firm in Ridgefield Connecticut …
So Radio Boston simply accepted “Discover New England” as a legitimate site worthy of charging CT taxpayers $100k rather than raising the possibility that the DNE organization was simply extorting funds from troubled New England states.
Was a sufficient level of research asking someone, “Do sites like Discover New England draw visitors?”
It costs $10.00 to register a domain like DNE. Anyone can make a site look like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with $100 of stock photos. Your job is to show me why the clicks on DNE’s site are worth $100k.
Pathetic.
Wait… so, MA paid these folks 100,000 to get listed on their terrible site which doesn’t even show up when you Google ‘new england trip’ or new england vacation’
Some geographic honesty from discovernewengland.org
The New England States
The New England region is comprised of six very unique states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island — all easily reached through the gateway city of Boston.*
*Discover New England is the official cooperative travel marketing organization for the region and represents all but Connecticut.
Don’t forget Robert Mitchum, noted actor and regrettable Calypso artist, who was born in Bridgeport.