Apr 16, 2026
Advocacy in Action: Strengthening Tourism’s Voice in Your Community
We are firmly in the “age of advocacy” as an industry.
Tourism departments and their funding models are being challenged or even attacked at record levels nationally.
Tourism leaders today are required to do more than just focus on driving visitation. They’re being called to demonstrate value, build relationships, and advocate for their destinations in new and meaningful ways. This breakout session on Friday, April 24th at the 2026 New York State Tourism Conference explores how tourism professionals can strengthen their voice, engage community stakeholders, and position tourism as an essential driver of economic and community development.
Through practical examples and real-world insights, this session examines how to build stronger relationships , empower boards as advocates, and communicate tourism’s broader impact beyond visitor spending.
About the Presenters:
Josiah Brown, or the New York Sherpa as he is known, co/chairs the NYSTIA Advocacy Committee, sits on the Destinations International Advocacy Committee and has emcee'd, for the past two years, the national conference focused on Tourism Industry Advocacy: Destination International's Advocacy Summit.
He is the President/CEO of Famous Destination Marketing as well as "The New York Sherpa Training and Education" which is pioneering the innovative programs of "The Destination Advocate", "The Destination Sherpa". He is a frequent speaker in the tourism marketing and management event industry taking over 12 Keynote stages just this year.
Berkeley Young is President of Young Strategies, a Charlotte, NC company conducting customized research and strategic planning for destination management organizations. Young’s hands-on experience running a CVB/DMO and managing a golf resort community gives him a unique edge when analyzing research data. Berkeley has conducted research and strategic planning studies with destinations of all sizes in 30 states and is currently working with destinations in Wyoming, Mississippi, New York, Virginia, Oklahoma, Florida and Louisiana. Berkeley is obsessed with understanding the behavior of travelers and how they make their destination travel decisions. Taking that research into a comprehensive plan to unify a destination’s leaders is his favorite part of client work. He is a highly rated speaker in the travel industry and is known for his clever approach when explaining even the most complicated data and trends.