Australian travel writer has a g’day in Spa City
Australian travel writer touts Spa City during Empire State tour
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Australian visitors to the U.S. stay longer, spend more and make more repeat trips than any other travel group.
Two years ago, New York City overtook Los Angeles in the race for these tourism dollars, and has stayed in the number one post position.
Mark Sheehan’s goal is getting Aussies to explore everything else the Empire State has to offer with a new travel guide called “New York Over Easy,” scheduled for release next year. The Sydneybased writer recently spent two days in the Spa City during a 30day jaunt around the state.
“People make the place,” he said. “The locals here are remarkable. Your attention to culture and history will be a real big draw to international visitors. I’ve felt nothing but welcome.”
Sheehan grew up on Long Island’s North Shore, where F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, “The Great Gatsby,” was based. In Sydney, he lives on a street called Hollywood Lane and frequently visits Newport Beach, a clear indication of Australia’s affinity for all things American.
One more than 1.4 million of the “Land Down Under’s” 22 million people, an extraordinarily high percentage, visit the U.S. each year.
“New York Over Easy” is patterned after another popular travel guide Sheehan wrote called “America Over Easy,” now in its fifth printing. Both publications are also widely distributed in New Zealand and South Africa.
“You’ve done a great job preserving the landscape and architecture here,” Sheehan said. “For example, the big clock outside the Broadway post office is a nice feature. The flowers hanging from lampposts are beautiful. I went to the National Museum of Racing and also took a spin around the lake. Anyone who’s interested in the outdoors and water sports is going to love this place.”
In addition, while staying at the Pavilion Grand Hotel, he toured Saratoga Spa State Park, the Roosevelt Baths and Saratoga National Historical Park.
Sheehan enjoys giving travel readers somewhat quirky and fun facts to consider. For example, he interviewed a state official about New York’s considerable bear population, which he believes Australians would find quite surprising.
The average Australian traveler spends 23 days in America and 91 percent say their number one activity is shopping. Because Australia has so few people, prices are extremely high for most consumer goods, Sheehan said.
A lawn mower that sells for $99 at Walmart in Wilton might cost $800 back home, he said. So people come to the U.S. planning to spend money, for just about everything including golf clubs, weed whackers and new cars. “This is the kind of traveler we want to attract,” Sheehan said.
But like many first-time visitors to New York, they don’t know there’s a big world to see outside the “Big Apple.” That’s why he’s writing “New York Over Easy.”
“The focus is getting people out of Manhattan,” he said.