Kaptur: Tourism is industry, jobs

Wednesday, 30 August 2006

By TOM JACKSON
tomjackson@sanduskyregister.com

SANDUSKY - Flowers, eagle nests and lighthouses all can help bring in plenty of tourist dollars to the Lake Erie Coast, Ninth District U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, told a crowd of about 60 Tuesday evening in downtown Sandusky.

Kaptur, meeting with constituents in the county government building, covered many topics but spent much of her time touting the area's tourist potential.

The north coast between Toledo and Cleveland is "the Hilton Head and Cape Cod of the Midwest," said Kaptur, who said many different elements could add up to lure visitors here.

Lorain and Lucas counties are the biggest flower-growing counties in Ohio's 88 counties, and Corso's in Sandusky has been named the top greenhouse in the U.S., Kaptur said.

"There's dollars in those blooms," she said.

Kaptur said during her term in office, eagle nests on the lake shore have expanded to 142 nesting pairs, drawing birders from all over.

"You might think, who would watch that? They travel all over the world to come here," she said.

There are about 20 lighthouses from Ashtabula to Toledo, but only recently have the lighthouse groups realized they should band together to bring people who like lighthouses to the coast, Kaptur said.

Local citizens who want to learn more about efforts to boost tourism should visit www.coastalohio.com on the Internet, Kaptur said.

FunCoast.com is your online guide to summer fun for Cedar Point, the LakeErie Islands and Sandusky area. Our site offers up-to-date information on area attractions, restaurants, hotels, gasoline prices, ferry schedules, swimming, birding and fishing, along with a complete listing of events happening in the Sandusky/Cedar Point area. To use our Webcam and zoom in on Cedar Point's rollercoasters, go to http://funcam.funcoast.com

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