Throughout the Eastern Shore, county tourism directors are constantly thinking of new ways to bring visitors to their markets. They need to do so however with small budgets and limited outside resources. That was one of the many challenges facing Dorchester County’s director of tourism Amanda Fenstermaker. How do you encourage well-heeled tourists to turn off Route 50 to spend a few days in Cambridge?
For Fenstermaker, the answer came in the form of securing the rights to hold a Ironman triathlon in Dorchester which now brings over 4,000 visitors to watch some of the country’s best athletes compete in a gruelling race that includes a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride, and a 26.2-mile run.
In her Spy interview, Amanda talks about the full economic impact of the Ironman competition, the extraordinary financial lift this event brings to Mid-Shore hotels, restaurants, gift shops and other tourist attractions. She also talks about how pro-active shop owners and volunteers are in promoting the race and its reputation as one of the friendliest and best attended Ironman races in the country.
This video is approximately four minutes in length For more information on the Cambridge Ironman on October 3rd, please go here
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