Revamped tourism hub open at Borough Hall

With Brooklyn booming on the tourism front, local leaders want to ensure that visitors have a reason not to fugghedabout their trip to the borough.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, alongside Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Carlo Scissura, unveiled a partnership to bring a revamped tourism visitors center and gift shop to Borough Hall.

With an estimated 15 million people paying a visit to the borough in 2014 alone, according to the Brooklyn Chamber, the interactive information hub would provide one central location to grab info on what to do in the borough and where.

“The popularity of our brand must translate into prosperity for all Brooklynites, and tourism is a vehicle to achieve that mission,” said Adams. “Reinvigorating the Brooklyn Tourism Visitors Center and Gift Shop has long been a dream of mine. Tourists want a memorable experience when they travel, and our new and improved center will set the stage for a day trip, weekend getaway, or longer excursion that excites their senses and expands their horizons.”

The center has recently been updated with iPads—there to provide a high-tech point-of-sale system for the gift shop as well as visitor access to Explore Brooklyn, the borough’s dedicated tourism website—and is also in the process of featuring Brooklyn-made products in an effort to support local artisans and businesses. The center will also serve as the physical home for ExploreBK.com, a site that shares content on dining, lodging, recreation and shopping options across the borough.

“Brooklyn is one of the world’s most iconic places, and in recent years, it has become a destination for millions of international and domestic visitors alike,” Scissura said. “Through the Visitor Center, each neighborhood across Brooklyn – from Coney Island and Sheepshead Bay to Crown Heights and Brownsville – will be promoted to tourists, so they spend their time and money in our businesses. I’m thrilled to partner with the Borough President to create this new home for Brooklyn tourism.”

While at the center, visitors can take a look at some historic photos of Brooklyn, Brooklyn Dodgers memorabilia, an ongoing exhibit on local sections of the Underground Railroad in Brooklyn and a rotating display featuring various aspects of the borough’s history.

Photo courtesy of the Borough President's office
Photo courtesy of the Borough President’s office

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