Photo courtesy of ThisIsCleveland.com - Cody York
Cleveland has gotten a bad rap over the years, but the national perception of the Ohio city finally appears to be shifting, boosted by tourism numbers that speak for themselves.
And, just like the ping pong balls for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA lottery, things finally seem to be bouncing the City of Cleveland's way.
Positively Cleveland-the official tourism authority of Cleveland-recently reported visitor expenditures of $7.4 billion for 2013, up 6.7 percent from 2011. That's in addition to a 4 percent increase in both visitors (15.6 million to 16.2 million) and jobs (63,394) from 2012 to 2013.
But how has a city that has been routinely mocked started to rise? What has changed?
Well, for one, perception is changing, according to Positively Cleveland President and CEO David Gilbert.
"I think it has to do with a new sense of self-confidence about Cleveland," Gilbert said. "And that has been something that has held Cleveland back in past decades. I think for a long time Cleveland has been the brunt of national jokes of things that happened 45 years ago. These are new generations that weren't even born when the (Cuyahoga River) caught fire.
"One, I think you've had a lot of tremendous infrastructure that has been built, a lot from private donors. It's great that we're seeing a lot of people from outside of Cleveland investing in our community.
"So many significant things have happened to boost the physical infrastructure of Cleveland, but there's a lot going on that is changing the entire narrative about Cleveland."
Cleveland introduced a new convention center last year that Gilbert feels will only boost the city's tourism numbers. In fact, the city will host the Republican National Convention in 2016, welcoming approximately 50,000 visitors. Gilbert said one of the reasons the Republican National Committee selected Cleveland was because of the city's welcoming and embracing attitude.
"It was not about politics," Gilbert said. "It was about, 'We're going to embrace these 50,000 people that are going to come to our town because they are choosing to come to our town, and it's our job to make sure that they feel welcomed.'"
Cleveland also recently hosted the National Senior Games and the Gay Games, internationally recognized competitions. Cleveland joined world-class tourist cities such as San Francisco, Vancouver, New York City, Amsterdam, Sydney, Chicago and Cologne in hosting the Gay Games. Nine new hotels were just opened up in the Downtown and University Circle (Cleveland's culture and arts district).
Recent additions also include a new global center for health innovation, a new casino, a new museum of contemporary arts and a $350 million renovation of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About $2.5 billion of visitor-related infrastructure is scheduled over a six-year period in Downtown and University Circle, including a Hilton Cleveland/Downtown convention center hotel (2016), the Flats East Bank project (Spring 2015) and The 9, a contemporarily-classic complex that will include urban residences, a Heinen's grocery store, a fine-dining Mediterranean restaurant called Adega and the Alex Theater which will include film screenings and live entertainment.
And, of course, there's the return to Cleveland of LeBron James.
Gilbert didn't have a figure of the estimated economic impact of today's greatest basketball player, but he noted, "It clearly is a very significant number, well into the tens of millions of dollars each year."
"One, in terms of that long-term perception, the Cavaliers will be on (up to) 29 nationally televised games next season, including the Christmas game and the New Year's game," Gilbert said. "But the Cavaliers will go from averaging 14,000 (fans per game) to 20,000 a game."
Considering 40 percent of Cavaliers tickets are annually sold to out-of-market visitors and the team plays 41 home games per season, that's "a really significant amount of visitor spending," Gilbert added.
And, again, it's not just about the tourism numbers. Perhaps what makes LeBron's return to Cleveland so intriguing is that it helps put the spotlight back on a city that has been continually beaten down.
"When (James) came back and he posted this national letter, that really made locals feel very proud," Gilbert said. "Even when he was playing for the Cavaliers before, there were times when hundreds of millions of people in China were watching. We're a big city, but we're not an international major Tier 1 city. When you see an extremely recognized player wearing 'Cleveland' on his chest night in and night out, it does help change perceptions."
But it's also important to note that Cleveland began what Gilbert called its "renaissance" when James was winning championships with the Miami Heat.
"The renaissance has absolutely blossomed over the last three to four years, and during that time LeBron was playing in Miami," Gilbert said. "So, I don't think anyone is saying the fortunes of Cleveland rest on the back of LeBron James. Him being here is phenomenal, but what is happening in Cleveland-this unbelievable renaissance and this real change in the whole mojo and vibe of the city-that was blossoming and changing prior to LeBron's announcement to come back. I think what LeBron's coming home does is amplify it."
One thing's for sure: Cleveland doesn't take anything for granted, based on what it has been through after being "the heart of what was Silicon Valley 100 years ago," Gilbert said.
"You had a city that, for 40 years, went through some very, very tough times," Gilbert said. "You can argue that Cleveland was in a 40-year recession and, quite frankly, under a lot of pressure. It was the butt of a lot of jokes, starting in the 1960s with Johnny Carson. I think what has come of it is this combination of sophistication and grit. You have this city with great arts and culture, a great culinary scene, pro sports, tremendous parks and Lake Erie in the backdrop of this old manufacturing town. Without the world-class ego. We're sort of proud of the fact that it's not all shiny and brand new. It's a polished-up version of a beautiful old city. And it has a real depth of character and depth of soul to it."
"Because of what the city has gone through, we appreciate visitors who come here," he added. "We appreciate the fact that they chose Cleveland."
When asked what he thought of the Cavaliers' title chances with James aboard, it was unclear whether Gilbert was talking about the Cavaliers or the City of Cleveland itself.
"We've been the underdog for a long time," Gilbert said. "In some ways, we relish in that."
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