Tourblackstone News | Sustainable Tourism Lab News

• NEW: October 16, 2008 - Providence Journal + Tribute Video
  Robert Billington, president of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, is to be awarded the Tom Roberts Prize for Creative Achievement in the Humanities on Monday, presented by the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities.  This is the latest in a series of honors for Billington, who earlier this year received the Pawtucket Foundation’s 2008 Heritage Award and the World Travel Awards’ North American Travel Personality of the Year Award. And before that, Billington received the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s Ulysses Prize. Billington’s promotes tourism by combining it with historic preservation, environmentalism and commercial development. The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities’ presentation is to take place on Monday at 6 p.m. in Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence. There will be wine and hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction and live music. For reservations, call (401) 273-2250.  More | See also Valley Breeze & Observer | View Tribute video on Google | View Tribute video with Flash

• NEW: September 28, 2008 - Woonsocket Call
  Just Call Him Mr. Travel
  But when he learned he was a contender for the World Travel Awards title of “Travel Personality of the Year,” he broke the rule. After all, it seemed so absurd that he would be competing for the title with the likes of Jay Raasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, and Cheryl Hudak, president and CEO of the mammoth American Society of Travel Agents, the whole thing seemed like a joke. But he’s not laughing now. He owes. More

• September 29, 2008
  BLACKSTONE VALLEY JOINS FORCES WITH KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL IN EXPANDING KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL’S AFFILIATE NETWORK  (Pawtucket, RI) September 29, 2008 Keep America Beautiful, Inc. welcomes an important new member to its expanding nationwide, community-based Network of Affiliates, with the certification of Keep Blackstone Valley Beautiful, Keep America Beautiful President Matt McKenna announced today. Further, Keep Blackstone Valley Beautiful is now the only Keep America Beautiful affiliate in Rhode Island. More | Evening Times article | Woonsocket Call | Valley Breeze

• September 25, 2008
  BTN talks to Dr. Robert Billington
  Dr. Robert Billington is the President of Blackstone Valley Tourism Council and was recently voted North American Travel Personality of the Year at the prestigious World Travel Awards. Dr. Billington is a pioneer of sustainable tourism and shares his views and insights into regeneration with BTN. More
   

• WINNER:  September, 2008
  Just in: Billington wins award.  More | Providence Business News | Valley Breeze | Providence Journal
  Tourism Chief Nominated for World Travel Award Dr. Robert Billington, President of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council has been nominated as a finalist for the World Travel Awards - North American Travel Personality of the Year. Billington was chosen as one of three finalists for his achievements in the travel and tourism industry. He is competing for the award with two other finalists who are: Jay Rasulo, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts; and Cheryl Hudak, President of the 20,000 member American Society of Travel Agencies (ASTA). 
   

• August 15, 2008 - Providence Business News
  Blackstone Tourism Council to honor people, companies at 23rd annual meeting
  PAWTUCKET – The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council (BVTC) will honor two major companies with Blackstone Valley Lifetime Achievement Awards during the tourism council’s 23rd annual meeting Sept. 25 at Twin River in Lincoln. Companies honored will be Collette Vacations of Pawtucket and Hope Global of Cumberland. More
   

• July 24, 2008  Providence Phoenix
  Is RI making the most from its tourism appeal? Critics call a variety of agencies a wasteful approach in this small state
  Even those with an appropriately dim view of quintessential Rhode Island boondoggles can agree that the Ocean State has a lot to offer — great beaches, superb restaurants, good nightlife, dynamic arts and culture, a rich sense of history, and a mix of urban and rural settings within short proximity, all tied together with considerable idiosyncrasy. So if you were going to promote this plate of attractions to potential visitors in other states, what would be the best way to do it? More

   

• July 16, 2008
  NBC10 Ombudsman recants Channel 10 Story regarding Council recommendations of Italian restaurants - calls reporting inaccurate
  
  "The BVTC representative did initially guide the caller to Federal Hill, contrary to what was reported. The BVTC representative did not recommend the Olive Garden in Massachusetts or Vinny T's in Massachusetts, contrary to what was reported. The representative did not specify a location for the Olive Garden and his mention of Olive Garden and Vinny T's was in (an apparently forthright) response to a question about where he goes, not necessarily where he would recommend.
  
  Based upon the materials reviewed, the story as aired was not an accurate representation of the facts gathered by the reporter. The station's own review of the circumstances of this story has resulted in a correction and apology, both of which are necessary and appropriate." Read full statement in PDF

• July 9, 2008
  Tourism Council Teams with Northern Rhode Island Conservation District to Support Environment
  The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council (BVTC) is joining forces with the Northern Rhode Island Conservation District (NRICD) in helping to support the NRICD Tree Planting Program in getting visitors to the Blackstone River Valley to donate money to benefit tree planting activities. Donation boxes will be set up through the Northern Rhode Island area at area merchants and visitor centers where people can drop off their cash donations. More

• New: May 29, 2008
  Proposed stores conflict with original vision for boat landing - There's always been a vision, but private investment never followed the hundreds of thousands of state and federal dollars invested in the massive Blackstone River dock that's been named Central Falls Landing. It's the only dock in all 45 miles of the river, according to Robert Billington, president of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council. More
   

• April 22 - 29, 2008
  Council wins Tourism for Tomorrow Destination Award
  Think 'tourism destination' and the image that comes to mind is not likely to be a place known for its polluted rivers, abandoned businesses, high unemployment and disenfranchised local communities. Yet, that is exactly what the Blackstone River Valley was when local community members launched the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council (BVTC) in 1985. Their goal was to revitalize the nine communities along the Blackstone River Valley in Rhode Island that formed the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution and then ultimately became a victim of it when the Blackstone became the first polluted river in the Western Hemisphere and its industrial economy collapsed. Working with a wide range of multi-stakeholders, BVTC has shown that tourism can play a key role in helping to revitalize a downtrodden economy and bring back a river once declared "dead" to the benefit of local people, business, and nature. Through a destination stewardship approach to tourism development, including the preservation of the area's natural, cultural and historical heritage, BVTC has succeeded in uniting a community and awakening it to its new economic potential. With innovative projects like the Sustainable Tourism Development and Planning Laboratory, the Council continues to grow and enhance its many offerings, while sharing the lessons it has learned with other tourism destinations. More | Providence Business News Story | Travel Mole Interview with Bob Billington | View videos (click on items in left column) | Tourism for Tomorrow Website
  
  In the mid-1980s, when Robert Billington was prowling church basements and council chambers, talking to groups and governments about how tourism could help energize the regional economy of the Blackstone Valley, there were always a few people in the back who joked about his sanity. But last week, he was in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, at the annual convention of the World Travel and Tourism Council, a trade group of 100 of the world’s biggest tourism companies. He wasn’t there to be mocked but to receive, on behalf of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, the international organization’s Destination Award for 2008.
  Providence Journal Article
   

• April 18, 2008 Providence Journal - John Hill
  Blackstone Valley Tourism Council up for award Robert Billington, president of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, will be spending next week in Dubai, where they have transformed a desert town into a multimillion-dollar international tourism resort. It will be a familiar story. Billington is traveling there to attend the annual meeting of the World Tourism and Trade Council to find out if the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council will be the winner of the international tourism business group’s Destination Award for 2008. More
   

• April 15, 2008 Providence Journal
  Robert Billington: The glorious rebirth of the Blackstone Valley EFFORTS TO RESTORE the vitality of the Blackstone River Valley are apparent across its landscape. In its history, the valley that was a pioneer of renewable energy (via waterpower) and understood the principles of sustainability eventually lost its focus even as it helped bring America to world-leader status by helping to start the nation’s industrialization. With the success of manufacturing in the Blackstone River Valley in textiles, machinery, jewelry and other industries, the valley turned away from protecting the Blackstone and subsequently let it become a catch-all for chemicals, dyes, metals, sewage and eventually household goods and automobiles. Anything that was not wanted went into the river, or on its banks. This abuse continued long into the 20th Century. More
   

• April 2, 2008 Providence Journal
  Pawtucket Foundation Bestows Honors - Bob Billington Receives Heritage Award - Developer Lance J. Robbins is a real estate lawyer based in Los Angeles. Tourism director Robert D. Billington is Blackstone Valley born and bred. The two men live thousands of miles apart, but both have had a major impact on the city and its redevelopment.  In recognition of that impact, the Pawtucket Foundation honored them at its fifth annual awards celebration, which took place in the Pawtucket Armory last night.  Billington, 57, received the foundation’s Heritage Award for his leadership of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council. Robbins, 60, was named the foundation’s Person of the Year.  More
   

• April 2, 2008 Evening Times
  Best of Pawtucket - Lance J. Robbins, the recipient of the Pawtucket Foundation’s “Person of the Year” award, called his transformation of the city’s old mills a “mystical odyssey.” More
   
• March 31, 2008
  COMMUNITIES OF THE BLACKSTONE VALLEY SCHEDULED TO TAKE PART IN THE GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP Nationwide community improvement program preserves the beauty of our local environment  Blackstone Valley, R.I., (March 31, 2008) - Communities throughout the Blackstone Valley will join forces to participate in the Great American Cleanup during April and May. Volunteers from various community organizations and environmental groups around the Blackstone Valley of Rhode Island will hold litter cleanups, recycling events and beautification events. Keep Blackstone Valley Beautiful, an environmental initiative of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, is aiding in event coordination and providing supplies such as bags, gloves, banners and more to volunteers. More
   

• 1/4/2008
  Keep Blackstone Valley Beautiful to Hold Computer and Electronic Collection  Cumberland, R.I. (January 4, 2008) - Keep Blackstone Valley Beautiful, a program of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, will hold a computer and electronic collection on Saturday, January 12, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Cumberland at Green-Tech Assets Warehouse, 30 Meeting St.
   

• 10/17/2007 (Forbes)
  Rhode Island No. 8 in Greenest States  More
   

• 10/22/2007 (Providence Business News)
  Creating ‘places,’ not tourist traps By William Hamilton
  As a tourism industry leader, Robert Billington should be concerned about attracting visitors and their dollars to his region in northern Rhode Island. But right now, he’s not worried about it too More
   

• 11/1/2007
  Regional Distribution of Tourism (PowerPoint)  More
   

• 10/26/2007 (Providence Journal)
  Place-making’ forum focuses on local flavor - Policymakers, city planners and tourism officials from Rhode Island and neighboring Connecticut and Massachusetts gathered downtown yesterday for a forum on “place-making” sponsored by the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council. More
   

• 10/1/ 2007
  Tour RI Thanks To: Members of the Tour RI Committee From: David DePetrillo
  Congratulations to every team member of the “Tour Rhode Island: There’s No Place Like Home” committee for bringing national recognition for Rhode Island by winning a prestigious Odyssey award from the Travel Industry Association and National Geographic Society. We are particularly pleased that the award was won in the geotourism category, because this event spotlights the authentic experiences in every corner of Rhode Island. My nomination application stressed the great cooperation of every tourism region in the state—Blackstone Valley, Providence, Warwick, East Bay, Newport County, Block Island, South County, as well as AAA, tourism students, industry representatives to make Tour RI an amazing success story. Every one of you shares in the honor of this award. The attached release from the Governor provides more detail. Thank you for your hard work and dedication over the past four years, and for bringing this national honor to our state.
   

• 10/03/2007: Press Release on Place-Making - Sustainable Development Tourism Forum More
   

• 9/28/2007:
  Local boy makes good: Animator Lima gets tourism award 
  When contacted one day last week at his northern California abode, Kevin Lima claimed he considered himself the "Invisible Pawtucketer." The renowned Disney movie animator, writer and director can't refer to himself as such anymore. A "blown away" Lima, a 1980 Tolman High graduate, emotionally accepted the prestigious Blackstone Valley Excellence in the Arts laurel - not to mention a "key to the city" - during the 22nd annual Blackstone Valley Tourism Council banquet, held inside a packed Kirkbrae Country Club ballroom on Thursday evening. More

• 09/27/2007
  It all Started with Puppets  (Providence Journal Story about Kevin Lima)
  Kevin Lima, who grew up in Pawtucket, has gone on to have a long association with Walt Disney Studios, directing a string of hits — A Goofy Movie, Tarzan (co-directed with Chris Buck), 102 Dalmatians, the upcoming Enchanted — that would be the envy of many better-known Hollywood directors. More
   

• Disney Movie Director, Conway Tours & Journalists to be recognized by the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council on September 27  More
   

• Spring 2007 (Cultural Tourism Heritage News)
  Blackstone River Valley Shares Success with Others: More
   

• 06/14/2007
  Blackstone River to get fish ladders By: Douglas Hadden, Times staff writer More
   

• 3/14/2007
  Boston Globe articles on Woonsocket and Rhode Island Chicken Family Style  More

• Boston Globe Article on Woonsocket: Immigrant city French-Canadian heritage lends an Old-World air  More

• Boston Globe Article on Chicken Family Style: In Rhode Island, family-style chicken packs the house  More

• Boston Globe: Where to Go for Chicken Family Style  More