New York State Tourism Industry Association (NYSTIA)

This past weekend New York State's tourism industry was showcased in Canada and New York's capital city. NYSTIA’s Nate Gresock brought our exhibit booth to the 2024 Montreal International Tourism & Travel Show, and Brooke Wilson exhibited at the 2024 Adirondack Sports & Northeast Ski Expo at Albany's Capital Center. These were our final travel shows of 2024 and capped an unprecedented year of outreach of consumer and travel trade event marketing by NYSTIA for New York State's destinations and attractions. Nate reports that we finished our most aggressive travel show schedule ever with a record-breaking two-day distribution of nearly 4,000 brochures in Montreal! 👏 A BIG THANK YOU to our 2024 Tourism Champions! Your support enabled us to get the word (and the literature!) out about your destinations. We returned to the New York State Fair, attended multiple events throughout the year, and had a presence on the Thruway at the Port Byron Old Erie Canal Heritage Park. As we look to 2025, we invite you to join us as a 2025 Tourism Champion and participate in 18+ shows across the U.S. and Canada, complimentary registration at the 2025 NYS Tourism Conference, 2025 New York State Tourism Best Practices Summit, and more! #nystia #travelshows #tourismchampions

💡 Each year, New Yorkers leave nearly 40 million days of paid time off (PTO) unused, with 12 million days (over $3 billion in benefits) expiring annually. Imagine if we turned those days into valuable travel within New York State, boosting both personal well-being and local economies. Join NYSTIA's grassroots #campaign to encourage New Yorkers to use their PTO in-state this holiday season. Use the free toolkit on our website to make sharing this message easy and effective. #NewYorkPTO Let’s unlock the value of unused PTO for a stronger New York tourism economy. Our thanks to the team at BBG&G Integrated Marketing for their efforts in launching this initiative. #NYVacation #NYTourism #advocacy

This past weekend, New York State tourism destinations were represented simultaneously at multiple locations for the "Travel Show Trifecta"! All across the Northeast, the NYSTIA team made sure that the charm and diversity of New York State were top of mind. Nate Gresock was in Ohio at the AAA Cleveland Vacation Expo, where he engaged with travelers eager to explore New York's diverse destinations. Bob Provost headed to Dream Destinations in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he also brought the wonders of New York State to travel enthusiasts. Meanwhile, Brooke Wilson connected with tour operators and industry leaders at the Bus Association of New York (BANY) event hosted at the 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel, where she connected with many NYSTIA members and met many new people at the BANY event. Join us as a 2025 Tourism Champion and help us build on the incredible momentum from this year!

Join us as a 2025 Tourism Champion and help us build on the incredible momentum from this year! With expanded programming and a stronger presence at consumer travel shows, 2024 was a success thanks to the support of over 40 destinations. With your support, we delivered on our promise of 18 travel shows, made a big return to the New York State Fair, and expanded our reach internationally to Montreal and Quebec. Our three active booth setups attracted attention at multiple locations, earning us prime spots from show promoters. Now, we're ready to take things to the next level in 2025—don't miss out! Sign up today and be part of another incredible year in tourism! Reach out to Nate Gresock (nate@nystia.org) to get started.

Last weekend the Tourism Champions Booth was at the nation's #1 National Drive Electric Week event, exhibiting at the New York Capital District Drive Electric Week & Sustainability Fair in Schenectady, NY! As part of NYSTIA's efforts to promote #sustainable tourism in New York State, we love supporting EV travel throughout the state! We want to thank Lynkwell for inviting us to exhibit at the event. #NDEW2024

We are pleased to announce that Don Welsh, a distinguished tourism executive with over four decades of experience, will be a featured speaker at the 2025 NYS Tourism Conference. As President and CEO of Destinations International, the global trade association for convention and visitors bureaus, Don brings extensive expertise across all facets of the travel and tourism industry. Throughout his career, he has held key leadership positions, including President and CEO of Choose Chicago, the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association, and the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau. Don’s experience also spans senior roles at Westin Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, and MGM Grand Hotel/Casino. His commitment to the industry is reflected in his service on various boards, including his current position on the Event Industry Council Board of Directors. #nystia #destinationsinternational #nystc Register now! ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eGzzxiFs

An unforgettable event! Huge thanks to the incredible team at Discover Saratoga NY — this success wouldn’t have been possible without your support and involvement!

Last week, a NYSTIA team had the pleasure of traveling to beautiful Akwesasne, New York, for the Akwesasne Tourism Summit! Bob Provost kicked things off as the keynote speaker with his talk on Tourism Done Right. Brooke Wilson contributed to the sustainability and agrotourism panel, highlighting green initiatives across New York State. Afterward, Rachele Markle extended her stay to explore local restaurants and learn more at the Akwesasne Cultural Center. A HUGE thank you to the team at Akwesasne Travel for inviting us, and for their incredible hospitality! #nystia #tourism #travel #akwesasne #indigenoustourism

Let's grow membership together! 🤝 Note from Gregory L. LaDuca, NYSTIA Board Chair and Senior Vice President - Industry Relations at Visit Rochester: "Greetings from Rochester NY! I am pleased and honored to be the Chair of the NYSTIA Board of Directors. I started to engage with NYSTIA in 2017 and quickly knew that I wanted to get involved. I have met so many wonderful people through NYSTIA. I have also learned so much. I could go on and on… In my day job at Visit Rochester I get to work with over 500 active members. As the staff liaison to Visit Rochester’s Visitor Industry Council (VIC), I get to assist in bringing education, networking, and engagement opportunities to our members (along with many other benefits and marketing opportunities). I am pleased to bring these experiences to you: the members of NYSTIA. Years ago, when I was the new chair of the VIC, I was challenged to have a theme for my year of service to the organization. Back then, my theme was engagement; shining a light on all the wonderful things that members were doing together to forward their businesses. At NYSTIA my theme for the year will be “MEMBERSHIP - IT’S EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS”. I believe that the best advocates for NYSTIA membership are all of you- our current members. You are the ones who are benefitting from the educational opportunities, the networking and engagement opportunities, the marketing opportunities, and the advocacy for our industry. So I am asking all of you to bring NYSTIA’s message back to your corners of New York State and tell your community about all of the benefits that come with a NYSTIA membership. I ask you to invite your network to view the NYSTIA membership page. I ask you to invite them to the annual New York State Tourism Conference and the Tourism Excellence Summit. I ask you to join me in growing NYSTIA membership together!" - Greg LaDuca, NYSTIA Board Chair and Senior Vice President - Industry Relations at Visit Rochester Learn more about NYSTIA membership: https://lnkd.in/eBFHPEua

Thank you to the 250+ tourism industry professionals who joined us from across New York State, the USA, Canada, and Europe at the 2024 New York State Tourism Summit and NYS 250 Commemoration Summit in Saratoga Springs! We want to express our appreciation and gratitude to the many attendees, partners and, presenters who participated in the event. 🎉 We also extend our gratitude to our partners, presenters, Julie Tierney and the team at our host hotel, the Holiday Inn Saratoga Springs, and our market host Discover Saratoga NY (thank you, Darryl Leggieri, MacKenzie Zarzycki & team!) for their hospitality and help throughout the planning and execution of the event. We would also like to thank New York State Historian Devin Lander (emcee) along with Saratoga County Historian Lauren Roberts, the Saratoga 250 Commission, Saratoga County and County Administrator Steve Bulger for hosting the NYS 250th Commemoration Summit on Wednesday. The program was packed with updates, briefings, case studies of collaboration, and insights from historians, NYS agencies, and tourism executives. We also would like to thank the team at Workshop for putting together the very fun Saratoga Stakes scavenger hunt and reception! Thank you to our Tourism Summit presenting partners Miles Partnership (represented by Julie Armstrong) and rove (Sally Donovan) for their generous support of NYSTIA programming, as well as Bridget Cerrone representing Advance Media New York for hosting the fantastic 2024 NYS Tourism Excellence Awards Ceremony & Reception at the beautiful Canfield Casino. We would also be remiss to thank the New York International Travel Show for hosting the morning breakfast on Thursday, September 12. Last but certainly not least, we would like to thank our colleagues at I LOVE NY/ESD in particular Ross Levi, Danae Jones-Persip, and Sara Emmert for their program contributions and our friends Richard Gagliano and Markly Wilson for joining us in Saratoga. A special shout out to David Alden Contreras Turley, who demonstrates incredible stewardship as our liaison with our colleagues at I LOVE NY/ESD.   We will send the slide decks and photos out as soon as they are all available, so please keep an eye out in your inbox!