News

The Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance (FLTA) is pleased to announce that they have selected Meghan Lawton as the new President & CEO. She will begin her new role in mid-March 2023. Meghan has strong ties to the Finger Lakes region both as a resident and as a part of the tourism industry in both…

Mark Dorr, President of the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association (NYSH&TA) will be providing a legislative update at the 2023 NYS Tourism Conference, held in Oswego, NY on April 19-21. Register now! Mark currently serves as the President of the New York State Hospitality & Tourism…

Brenda Dysinger, Vice President of Human Resources at the Seneca Gaming Corporation, will speak on the Workforce Development panel at the 2023 NYS Tourism conference, held in Oswego on April 19-21. Her topic, "The Best 8 Hours: Retaining talent in a highly competitive market" will cover:…

As the New York State Travel & Tourism community plans for 2023, matching marketing funds await. Advance Media New York announces a return of the matching grant program for the New York State travel and tourism industry. This exciting initiative provides matching marketing dollars to…

The following provides NYSTIA Data Analyst Ryan Maercklein's February 9th China Market Update and Insights webinar presented by Brand USA. The presentation circulated around the broad topic of China’s choice to reopen international travel, what led to the decision, and what it truly encompasses.…

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYC EDC) is looking to contract venues for what they are calling Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers.  Below is an overview/summary of the RFP: Looking for sites throughout New York state to temporarily house asylum seekers in a…

It was NYSTIA's first time exhibiting at the Toronto Golf and Travel Show (February 3-5), and it was well attended. We had great conversations with golf-focused travelers and discussed New York State's many golfing destinations. We deployed NYSTIA's new brochure racks for the first time in Toronto,…

The following provides NYSTIA Data Analyst Ryan Maercklein's insight and takeaways from the February 1st State of the American Traveler webinar presented by Destination Analysts. The presentation encompassed a few important topics including travel sentiment, economic concerns, and travel…

In honor of Black History month, The Cayuga County Office of Tourism and Justin Harris Tours, is excited to present Harriet Tubman’s Chosen Hometown Walking Tour. Follow in the footsteps of Harriet Tubman, across the streets and floors of the historical landmarks that welcomed…

The Pittsburgh Travel Showcase (January 20 - 22) was a great success! Many attendees stopped at our booth excited about traveling to New York State. There were a lot of positive comments about our booth, with some attendees saying we were one of the event's best-resourced and most knowledgeable…

The Empire State Passengers Association (ESPA) is proud of the expansion of passenger rail service achieved this past year while Amtrak continues to recover from earlier Covid-relayed layoffs and retirements. I wanted to provide a yearend wrapup of 2022 activities and accomplishments, as…

A review of statistics from a variety of sources and using a variety of methods from 2015 to 2022 consistently yielded the same outcome - employed New Yorkers fail to use almost 25% of their vacation time each year: Over 42 MILLION DAYS of paid time off are left on the table by employed New Yorkers…

Strap on your skis, lace up your skates, or pull on your hiking boots—the FEBRUARY 15 challenge is on! Complete 15 miles anywhere in the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor before February 28th to claim your status as a FEBRUARY 15 finisher. Head out to your local park, state park,…

The following provides NYSTIA Marketing Analyst Ryan Maercklein's insight and takeaways from the Expedia Group’s article, Destination Marketing Trends for 2023, published by Andrew van der Feltz on January 16th. This informative article covers a variety of topics pertinent to the travel…

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) executives Ellen Brody, Great Lakes Regional Coordinator for NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, and Jeff Gray, Superintendent of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena, Michigan, will speak at the 2023 New York State…

Highlights Efforts to Build Community Resilience to Flooding, Restore and Connect Healthy Ecosystems, Promote Environmental Justice, and Educate the Next Generation New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today released the 2020-2022 Great Lakes…

As the World University Games come to a close in the Adirondacks, NYSTIA's Brooke Wilson shares a few key takeaways from the event. The exemplary sustainability standards set by the 2023 Lake Placid FISU World University Games undoubtedly place New York State as a beacon for sustainable event…

The following provides NYSTIA Data Analyst Ryan Maercklein's insight and takeaways from the January 11th State of the American Traveler webinar presented by Destination Analysts. A wide array of topics were covered including the economic considerations of the traveler, travel sentiment, and 2023…

NYSTIA welcomes Stacy Koss, the Sr. Manager of the Travel/Tourism and Entertainment Division for NJ Advance Media (Affiliated with Advance Travel & Tourism), and Michelle Melkonian, Account Executive focused on Travel & Tourism throughout NJ (and beyond) to the membership community. Since 2018,…

In their Employee Benefits January Newsletter, NYSTIA Member Brown & Brown Inc. provided important guidance on a number of issues, most notably: Creditable Coverage Disclosure to CMS due March 1, 2023 Each year, group health plan sponsors that provide prescription drug coverage to individuals…