Fort Lee resident urges Bergen County to form a Convention & Visitors Bureau to promote tourism
Summary
At the July 2 meeting, a Fort Lee hotel-sales professional asked commissioners to create a Bergen County Convention & Visitors Bureau to capture convention business and tourism opportunities being promoted regionally.
A Fort Lee resident and hotel‑sales professional urged the Bergen County Board of Commissioners on July 2 to create a county Convention & Visitors Bureau to promote tourism and attract conventions to Bergen County.
Allen Kantorowicz, director of sales for four New York City hotels and a private‑sector community relations representative, said he has experience launching tourism organizations and that Bergen County lacks a visible tourism presence despite being the state's wealthiest county.
"The whole idea behind the Convention and Visitors Bureau is to bring commerce and money into its city and specifically to its meetings and convention business here," Allen Kantorowicz said. He told commissioners he helped establish the Long Island Convention & Visitors Bureau and a Greater Newark bureau and said Bergen County should have comparable representation.
Kantorowicz said he observed international tour operators at a recent trade show in Chicago and that New York City is now clearly marketing itself for major events such as the World Cup. He argued Bergen County should be represented at similar levels to attract meetings and visitor spending.
The presentation was part of the meeting’s public‑comment period; commissioners did not vote on a tourism office or create a formal initiative during the session. Kantorowicz offered his assistance as a private citizen if the county decides to pursue a bureau.
If commissioners direct staff to study a county tourism office, that would typically be handled through county administration and possibly county economic or cultural affairs committees.
