NYSTIA Tourism Champions Mid-Year Update

It has been an incredibly busy 2024 for the NYSTIA Tourism Champions Program. Our unprecedented schedule of domestic and Canadian show participation would not have been possible without the support of the Champions community!

Travel shows attended so far in 2024:

• Pittsburgh Travel Showcase (Pittsburgh, PA)
• New York Travel & Adventure Show (New York City)
• USA International Sportsman, Outdoor Recreation & Travel Show (Pittsburgh, PA)
• Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show (Toronto, ON, CA)
• Lehigh Valley Vacation Expo (Allentown, PA)
• Camping, Hunting & Fishing Show of Trois-Rivières (Quebec, CA)
• Adirondacks Sports Summer Expo (Saratoga Springs, NY)
• Montreal Outdoor Adventure Show (Montreal, QC, CA)
• Ottawa Travel & Vacation Show (Ottawa, ON, CA)
• Ottawa Valley Outdoor Adventure and Sportsman Show (Ottawa/Petawawa, ON, CA)
• Ottawa Outdoor + Adventure Travel Show (Ottawa, ON, CA)
• Springfield Spring Travel Show (Springfield, MA)

Last week, the Tourism Champions Booth was displayed at the Naturally Lewis Economic Development Conference. Greg LaDuca, Senior Vice President of Industry Relations and Visitor Experience at Visit Rochester, spoke on behalf of NYSTIA about transformational tourism stewardship and what we mean by 'tourism done right'.

Good news! The Tourism Champions travel booth is now installed at the Port Byron Old Erie Canal Heritage Park on I-90, providing your travel literature to visitors for the 2024 season. This further extends the program's outreach efforts and has received positive feedback from visitors to the park. Our thanks to the Canal Society of New York State for their partnership and collaboration.

Be on the lookout for more information soon regarding instructions for Tourism Champions on how many guides we will need for scheduled events planned for August through December. We will have details of the 2025 Tourism Champions Program for you soon!

If you have any questions, please get in touch with Nate Gresock at nate@nystia.org.