SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK
631-447-5252
Margaret Markey Chairwoman of the Assembly Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development, presided over a public hearing to discuss the redevelopment of New York’s “I Love New York” brand and its influence on the state’s economy.
New York’s tourism industry is very important to the state’s income and also to its economy. Last year the tourism industry sustained 700,000 jobs statewide. New York welcomed 76.2 million visitors resulting in $54 billion in direct tourism spending and about $7 billion in state and local tax revenue in 2011, an 8.3 percent growth since 2010. A growth in the revenue also led to a growth in tourism related employment, creating jobs is as important as it has ever been, and tourism remains the fifth largest employer in the United States. Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed a $5 million advertising competition for the best regional marketing plans to create incentive in the counties to work together to create a cohesive environment.
One of the programs proposes and $800,000 public relations campaign that will increase and effectively utilize the use of social media and improvements to the “I Love New York” Web site with the continuation of the public service announcement series “I Love New York travel tips.” Markey focused on the affect of Hurricane Sandy on tourism and especially the state parks in Long Island. The 2012-13 budget allotted $94 million to state parks for infrastructure repairs. The redevelopment to the iconic “I Love New York” brand should be headed by a leader who is capable of bringing our great state back to being the travel and destination leader it once was.
