HOLYOKE — As the city kicks off a week to celebrate its local restaurants, Holyoke has launched a new website to showcase for tourists the Paper City’s upcoming events, businesses and cultural venues.
The city’s Office of Planning and Economic Development announced the launch of its Explore Holyoke website, at ExploreHolyoke.com, meant to be a community tool for those looking for more information about what’s going on in the city. The launch came ahead of the city’s “Explore Holyoke Restaurant Week” scheduled from June 6 through June 12. The initiative is part of the city’s 2019 tourism plan, which seeks to promote local businesses and tourism.
“The impetus for the Explore Holyoke website was definitely to have a tool that the community could use to have events on a community calendar but also have a direct listing for restaurants and retailers within the city of Holyoke,” said Aaron Vega, director of the city’s Office of Planning and Economic Development. “We were able to kind of speed it along because we knew we had restaurant week coming up.”
Funded through the city’s Mass Gaming Mitigation fund, the website allows local businesses to submit their events in a simple-to-use format. Vega encouraged venues to submit their information
“This can only be a good tool if everyone uses it,” Vega said.
Though the website is brand new, it does already offer a listing of city restaurants.
Vega said that the website and restaurant week will hopefully attract people to their favorite eateries or to new locations they’ve never visited before. He said people should realize that the city has as many good dining spots as neighboring cities like Northampton and Easthampton.
“Holyoke has just as good of restaurants as our neighboring communities and we want to be a part of that western Mass restaurant ecosystem,” he said.
As part of the restaurant week, participants will be able to track their “food journey” with stamps in a “food passport” that afterward can be used as coupons at those same restaurants.
There will also be four food demonstrations and tastings at Holyoke Community College’s MGM Culinary Arts Institute. The events are free, though seating is limited and Vega said they are filling up.
Dusty Christensen can be reached at dchristensen@gazettenet.com.