Portman meets with locals to hear about tourism concerns

SANDUSKY — Keeping Lake Erie healthy is a key to inspiring Cedar Fair to keep investing in Cedar Point.That's what a company executive told U.S. Sen. Rob Portman Thursday at a roundtable discussion on tourism.Duff Milkie, Cedar Fair's general counsel and executive vice president, was among the local leaders who met with Portman in a glass-walled room at the Sandusky Yacht Club, offering an excellent view of boats in Sandusky Bay. Portman sat at the head of the table, flanked by Larry Fletcher, executive director of Lake Erie Shores & Islands, and Matt MacLaren, director of TourismOhio.The two tourism leaders emphasized the economic importance of tourism and the central role played by the Lake Erie region.Visitor spending was $46 billion in Ohio in 2018 and there was a record 222 million tourism visits last year, according to a flyer MacLaren handed out. Ohio has 88 counties, but the eight counties along Lake Erie generate almost one-third of the tourism spending, MacLaren said.Portman emphasized his longtime interest in Lake Erie. He mentioned he goes walleye fishing on the lake every year and mentioned his support for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which the Obama and Trump administrations both tried to cut.Portman went around the table, inviting each local official to take the opportunity to make a point about tourism.Milkie explained Cedar Fair has continued to spend money to improve Cedar Point. For example, Hotel Breakers has been upgraded so the hotel and its beach is a destination in itself, rather than only a place to sleep for people visiting the park.New rides continue to be opened at Cedar Point and Cedar Fair is also working on attractions outside the park.If the health of Lake Erie deteriorated, Cedar Fair has 13 other properties it can invest in, Milkie said. Keeping Lake Erie in good shape is a key aspect of Cedar Fair's continued investment in Ohio, Milkie said.Erie County's commissioners all attended the meeting, and they emphasized government help is needed to prevent sewer overflows that put dirty water into the lake during heavy rainstorms.Commissioner Matt Old said millions of dollars are needed, and help from the federal government would be useful.Commissioner Pat Shenigo said the emphasis lately is on getting people to stay in the area for an entire week."We need Lake Erie for that. That's why people stay here for seven days," Shenigo said."I don't think any tourist wants to swim with human feces," Shenigo said. "We need some sort of assistance from the state and federal levels … there's not a lot of money out there right now."Swathi Ravichandran, the director of Bowling Green State University's new resort and attraction management program, told Portman the new degree program, being developed in cooperation with Cedar Fair, will be unique in the U.S."Students in this program are guaranteed paid internships in any one of the Cedar Point properties," she told Portman.Portman also stopped at the Sandusky Register Thursday to appear on the newspaper's public affairs show, "Between the Lines Live." The show, about 15 minutes long, is available at the Register's website, www.sanduskyregister.com/tags/btl, and on the Register's YouTube channel. Local officials gather for a roundtable discussion about tourism with Sen. Rob Portman on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019, at the Sandusky Yacht Club.Sen. Rob Portman opens a roundtable discussion about tourism on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019, at the Sandusky Yacht Club.Duff Milkie, Cedar Fair's executive president, talks about tourism during a roundtable discussion with Sen. Rob Portman on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019.