Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of its Founding
Tourism is a $3 billion industry in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State
PENN YAN, NY – The Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance, the longest-standing regional destination marketing organization in the United States, announced today that, on Saturday, May 4, 2019, the not-for-profit will celebrate its 100th anniversary while honoring the organization’s past, present and future in addition to connecting with the Finger Lakes regional community.
“For a century, the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance has been committed to growing tourism in the region,” said Cynthia Kimble, President of the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance. “At the time the FLTA was founded, tourism was a burgeoning industry and, now, we have a $3 billion industry supporting over 58,000 jobs in the region, with the numbers growing year over year. As the oldest regional destination marketing organization in the country, we are so pleased to celebrate this historic milestone.”
The milestone celebration presented by CK Cellars will be held on Saturday, May 4 from 5:00pm to 11:00pm at the Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Geneva Lakefront Resort situated at the north end of Seneca Lake in Geneva, New York. Tickets are on sale now for $47.00. Please visit flta100.com, the FLTA office in Penn Yan or the front desk of the Ramada to purchase. Tickets will not be sold at the door.
CK Cellars is the presenting sponsor and the parent company of Torrey Ridge Winery, Earle Estates Meadery, WortHog Cidery, CuKi Fine Wines and Rooster Hill Vineyards. Learn more about the CK Cellars portfolio at ckcellars.com.
“We are thrilled to be the presenting sponsor of the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance’s 100th Anniversary celebration and look forward to furthering the Finger Lakes Region and our relationship with the FLTA and its nearly 700 partners,” said Paul Curcillo, Principal, CK Cellars.
“The Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance is one of the premier destination marketing organizations and we couldn’t be more excited to be an integral part of this historic celebration,” adds Stephanie King, Principal, CK Cellars.
On April 25, 1919, Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance’s (FLTA) founders came together in Auburn, New York to organize a cooperative to promote tourism in the region. This would require solving three major challenges:
· Cooperatively marketing the Finger Lakes region
· Developing signage; once tourists arrive, they would need to find out where to go and what to do
· Ensuring service stations were equipped to handle horseless carriages, i.e. fuel for vehicles
In 1967, the Finger Lakes Region and its 14 counties were designated by New York State law as the Finger Lakes Region. The Finger Lakes was designated by a law signed by then Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller.
The FLTA works hand in hand with its partners and market research firms to determine the best investments in marketing to attract visitors to the region ensuring partner growth and success.
Alliance partners include private-sector attractions, tourism-related businesses and participating county tourism offices in all 14 counties of the state-designated tourism region which include Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Livingston, Monroe, Onondaga, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne and Yates.
Considered the oldest regional destination marketing organization in the nation, the FLTA is also one of the longest-standing, continuously operating destination marketing organizations in the United States.
In February, legislation taking the first step towards designating the Finger Lakes Region as a National Heritage Area has passed the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Natural Resources Management Act now heads to the president, who has suggested he will pass it. The Finger Lakes National Heritage Area Study Act authorizes the National Park Service to conduct a feasibility study in the 14-county region.
The Finger Lakes Region is home to more than 400 registered historic sites and landmarks, 135 museums, 80 art galleries, 14 professional theatre companies, 100 wineries, 300 bed and breakfasts, 1,063 waterfalls and gorges, 26 state parks, 2,000 miles of hiking/biking trails and 650 miles of shoreline.
The Finger Lakes Region extends east and west from Rochester to Syracuse and north and south from the Lake Ontario border to the Pennsylvania border.
To learn more about the 100 years of the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance and the people who continue its legacy, please visit FingerLakes.org, the #1 source for Finger Lakes tourism information.
For information on sponsoring the 100th Anniversary Celebration, please contact Cynthia Kimble, President, by phone at 315-536-7488 or by email at CindyK@fingerlakes.org.
For information on becoming a FLTA partner, please contact Jessica Robideau, Director of Sales and Marketing, by phone at 315-536-7488 or by email at JessicaR@fingerlakes.org.
About the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance
Founded in 1919, the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance exists to enhance and promote visitor businesses for a 9,000-square-mile region including the 14 counties of the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. The FLTA’s mission is to lead economic growth and development through exemplary promotion of the Finger Lakes Region as a world-class tourism destination.
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