Task Force Aims To Boost Tourism

To the average student who sees handfuls of tour buses pull up to Harvard Yard each day, the city doesn't need to lure more visitors.

But Mayor Kenneth E. Reeves '72 is trying to do just that. Reeves introduced the newly formed Cambridge Tourism Task Force at Monday's City Council meeting.

The announcement is the latest in the council's attempts to improve the city's business climate.

Proponents are banking on the fact that more tourism will bring new jobs and more money into Cambridge.

Reeves said the committee will examine how the city can better promote itself and improve transportation for tourists. The committee will also investigate the feasibility of developing a convention center to lure business travelers.

A primary goal of the task force is to achieve recognition of Cambridge as a destination unto itself and not just a side show of Boston.

Michael Levie, chair of the Commission on Cambridge as a Destination, said that the committees are not just trying to take tourists away from Boston.

"We want people to start thinking of both the left and right banks of the Charles," he said. "There is more to Cambridge than just Harvard Square. There are a lot of people [in Cambridge] working for tourism. We want to join in that effort, draw as many people as possible to the city."

The convention center proposed by the mayor has raised questions about the city's ability to handle large numbers of tourists at once. But Levie said that studying the center does not mean that it will be built.

"We don't have any figures for the size or cost of [the center]. Right now it's just people with a hunch that might work. We have the opportunity to study it further and make a better educated decision," Levie said. "I hope people will allow us to study it without bombarding the idea."

William A. Sage, one of the four members of the steering committee, said that initially the committee will draw no conclusions.

"We are going in to collect data with no preconceived ideas of good and bad," Sage said. "We need to approach this as a clean slate and say 'Let's take a look at what we need and don't need, and explore what's best for the city.'

The task force members represent a wide range of interest groups including hotels, businesses, universities and government organizations.

The task force subcommittees will each have their first official meeting next Tuesday, and their chairs hope to have preliminary plans drawn up by the end of February.