Holyoke Massachusetts is an industrial city on banks of the Connecticut River that is rich in history and cultural diversity but, like many New England mill cities, has suffered economic depression from the decline in manufacturing. Holyoke is not generally associated with tourism and is not a tourist destination. Crane Associates was asked to investigate the tourism opportunities in the region and create a strategy for Holyoke to grow this sector. This study analyzed the regional economy, Holyoke's assets, the tourism sector in the Connecticut River Valley, and estimated that Holyoke was foregoing nearly $126 million in tourism spending annually by not actively investing in this sector. The report provides nine priority recommendations with specific implementation steps for each to guide the City on how to capture this untapped economic sector.
