Brooklyn's Progress
July 2002

Whether or not it's accurate, popular reports claim one in seven Americans can trace their roots back to Brooklyn. Given that over 37 million tourists visit New York City each year, Tourism Professor Karen Smith believes Brooklyn's diverse ethnic population provides a rich opportunity to attract more tourists to our borough. Smith was awarded a grant in May 2002 by CUNY's Affirmative Action Committee to identify ethnic tourism sites in Brooklyn. The focus of the project entitled Immigrant Trails celebrates the sites and activities of Brooklyn's four largest ethnic population groups: Caribbean, Eastern European/Russian, Hispanic, and Italian. Professor Smith is directing the project with support from students in her Sustainable Tourism course who are researching various sites and activities in the borough. A web site and print guidebook will profile each of the selected sites with photographs and descriptions. The project is scheduled to be complete by August 2002. The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is supporting the program and urges members to contact Professor Smith with recommendations of sites and activities to be included. The Immigrant Trails Project can be reached at (718) 260-5643 or KSmith@NYCTC.Cuny.Edu.