Aug 17, 2026
2026 NYS Tourism Excellence Awards Honoree: Tourism Advocacy
A Rising Tide
Join us on Thursday morning in Corning at the 2026 NYS Tourism Excellence Summit to hear from Michael Martelon, President and CEO at Sullivan Catskills Visitors Association, as he presents on their award winning Tourism Advocacy project, "A Rising Tide".
"A Rising Tide" focuses on allocating lodging-tax dollars in an attempt to lift all boats — where local businesses, brands, events and other tourism-centric entities have an opportunity to amplify their efforts via lodging-tax revenue. It’s about investing more fully in the “destination brand”. Using Sullivan County's tourism grant program as a working model, we'll walk through a structured, roomnights-first approach that reinvests across the entire visitor ecosystem, from lodging to the secondary, tertiary, and ancillary organizations that round out a destination. You'll leave with a replicable framework for allocating a portion of lodging-tax receipts to lift-up the lesser known community gems and layer the importance of measurable overnight visitation with a stronger, more authentic destination brand.
Why You Should Attend This Session:
- You're sitting on lodging-tax revenue and want a transparent, defensible way to reinvest it that keeps your hoteliers and your board on board.
- You want a practical, category-based grant structure you can adapt, with real evaluation criteria, scoring, and reporting, not just theory.
- You believe your destination's edge is its authenticity, and you want to fund the events, culture, and hyper-local identity visitors actually remember.
Key Takeaways:
- A "roomnights-first" framework for allocating lodging-tax dollars across four strategic categories, with accountability built in.
- How to amplify your proven winners while supporting the secondary, tertiary, and ancillary players that strengthen the whole visitor economy.
- The UBU principle – know your destination and lean into it – as a simple filter for every funding decision.
About Michael:
Michael Martelon, CHME, CHIA, is President & CEO of the Sullivan County Visitors Association, where he sets the vision for the destination's brand, data, and community relationships. With more than 30 years in travel and tourism, he has driven creative, brand and revenue for names including the Islands of the Bahamas, Four Seasons, Caesars Entertainment, and Sheraton Hotels. As CEO of the Telluride Tourism Board for more than a decade, he grew taxable sales 158% ($233 million) and launched its first consumer data-analytics program. At Visit Santa Cruz County, he rebuilt the brand around a four-pillar framework, launched the "Find Your Awe" articulation, and delivered a 5X return on marketing investment. Equal parts systems builder and storyteller, his charge at SCVA is to elevate the tourism economy across every corner of the Sullivan Catskills.
About Sullivan Catskills Visitors Association:
The Sullivan Catskills Visitors Association (SCVA) is the official destination management organization for Sullivan County, New York, a place of unexpected balance where nature & culture, stillness & spark, and depth & play coexist. SCVA works to promote Sullivan County as a premier tourism destination, strengthen the region's visitor economy, and serve as a connector, convener, and champion for the communities, businesses, and people who make Sullivan County worth discovering.
15 Sullivan Avenue, Suite 1 | Liberty, NY 12754 | 845.747.4449 |
SullivanCatskills.com