REVERE BEACH HAS FOREIGN APPEAL

Mayor Ambrosino Guides Beach Tour for European Travel Writers

More than 100 years after landscape architect Charles Eliot designed Revere Beach as the nation’s first public beach, it’s still attracting interest from people all over the globe. That was certainly the case earlier this month when seven prominent German journalists, representing various sectors of the European travel publication industry, joined Mayor Thomas G. Ambrosino and local historian Peter McCauley in a tour down the beach’s historic boulevard. This guided tour of the City’s gem was part of a four-day itinerary mapped by the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT) of “firsts” in Massachusetts. Revere Beach was naturally on the list as the first public beach in America.

“Many generations ago, people from all across the country came to enjoy Revere Beach as the first beach to be set aside and governed by a public body for the enjoyment of the common people. It comes as no surprise that its history and beauty continue to interest vacationers from across the nation and from other countries, as well,” said Mayor Ambrosino. “The European interest in the beach occurs at the same time we as a City are celebrating the pending designation of Revere Beach as a National Historic Landmark by the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior. We are expecting a formal announcement sometime before the end of the year,” Mayor Ambrosino said.

“We were very pleased to host this tour for our visitors from abroad. I know that they were impressed with our beach, and I fully expect from their comments that Revere Beach will receive superb publicity in their travel publications,” said Mayor Ambrosino. “This is all part of the City’s overall effort to promote tourism and commerce within Revere and especially along its shoreline. While sightseeing is usually a major part of any vacation, shopping, recreation and relaxation are essential components as well. This is why we feel the promotion of the beach and all it has to offer will benefit Revere as a whole,” Mayor Ambrosino said.

The two-hour tour of the Beach started after the group was treated to refreshments at the Comfort Inn & Suites. Shortly thereafter, they traveled to Eliot Circle at the southernmost end of the beach, then they made their way down the three and half mile stretch of Revere Beach Boulevard, ending at the Carey Circle turnaround in the Point of Pines.

Peter McCauley noted with admiration the sincere interest the journalists expressed in the beach’s history. “These young professionals displayed true enthusiasm for Revere Beach, its history and natural beauty,” said Mr. McCauley. “As part of the tour, we detailed the beach’s famous amusements and attractions and how this successful amusement industry flourished for much of the twentieth century. We also discussed how the Narrow Gauge railroad used to run down the boulevard and how today the MBTA Blue Line can get you to the beach right from the heart of Boston within 20 minutes. When we got up to Kelly’s Roast Beef, they wanted to get out and walk along the shore. Some of them collected seashells to take back with them to Germany. They were also very grateful that the Mayor was able to take time out of his busy schedule to accompany them on the tour,” Mr. McCauley said.

As part of the state initiative to market Massachusetts as a vacation destination, MOTT contracts with public relations firms in other countries to screen and recruit journalists to experience certain places and events within Massachusetts. For this visit, MOTT highlighted people-generated locations and inventions representing human ingenuity and reflecting hopes and dreams of people once they became settled. Along with Revere Beach as America’s first public beach, the journalists visited the Arnold Arboretum, Boston’s Fenway Park, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Essex Ship Building Museum, George Peabody Museum, the Literary Trail of Boston and Concord, Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Saugus Iron Works, and the Union Oyster House.

The City’s relationship with MOTT has been strengthening over the past years, due in part to Mayor Ambrosino’s renewed focus on promoting Revere Beach for economic development and tourism opportunities. The Mayor hopes this visit will push Revere Beach as a place to visit for European vacationers whose travel destinations include the Boston area. “We’ve already begun follow-up work with the journalists. We hope to use this as a springboard from which to cultivate strong working relationships with travel agents abroad,” said Paul Rupp, economic development consultant for the City. In fact, immediately following the tour, Mayor Ambrosino arranged to have lithographs of paintings of old Revere Beach done by local artist Norman Gautreau sent along with thank you letters and invitations for future stays to the visiting journalists.

“This visit and its resulting coverage is complimentary to the strides we’re making in economic development with regard to commercial properties along the beach, most notably the Surf Site, Parcel H, and the North Lot,” said Mayor Ambrosino. “While we continue to work to bring in planned and appropriate commercial development along our coast, at the same time we are moving ahead with promoting our shore as an enjoyable destination for travelers and vacationers from all over the world,” Mayor Ambrosino concluded.

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