February 24, 2026

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Next Week:

March 4| 9:15-9:45 AM | Free | Register Now

Beyond the Pour: How DMOS Can Turn Wineries, Breweries & Culinary Culture into Destination Drivers

Make winery tourism, craft beer culture, and culinary storytelling core pillars of your destination's brand and performance

Led by Kelly Fitzpatrick, Client Success Manager at Zartico, this session explores how DMOs can move beyond traditional attraction-based marketing and instead position wineries, breweries, and culinary culture as key identity drivers for their destinations. Using real visitor intelligence, we’ll uncover who your food and beverage visitors really are, what motivates them, and how to turn those insights into measurable marketing success. Register Now

Over the weekend, two Tourism Champions Booths were in action in two major out of state markets. Nate brought the booth to the Chicago Travel & Adventure Show at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, and Gary Hahn and Megan Arnone Eckwahl of the National Comedy Center brought a second booth to the Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show (thank you to Maria DiGiacomo of Reach Global, representing I Love NY, for joining Gary and Megan in our booth!), held at the International Centre.

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2026 NYS Tourism Conference:

Arriving on Tuesday?

If you’re arriving early for the NYS Tourism Conference, here are just a few suggestions to help you explore some of the great local things Oneida County has to offer before the conference kicks off on Wednesday! Tuesday Arrivals Suggestions

Register for the Conference | Book Your Room | About the Conference

The NYSTIA Advocacy Committee is gathering input on ways we can improve the Tourism It's Everybody's Business (TIEB) printable documents that generate from the Economic Impact by County function on our website. We hope you will spare a few minutes of your time by filling out the brief form. Share Your Thoughts.

• Across New York State, destination organizations are leading powerful advocacy efforts to demonstrate the value of tourism in their communities. This new resource highlights real-world examples of how individual markets are engaging partners, amplifying local voices, and building support for sustained investment in tourism at all levels.
• U.S. Travel: One year ago, the Commission on Seamless and Secure Travel set a clear roadmap to modernize the American travel system. Since then, we've driven measurable progress. But significant funding now hangs in the balance and harmful policy proposals threaten to undercut our momentum. Here is where the industry stands.

📣 Be a Tourism Advocate! Sign up to the NYSTIA Advocacy Action Center to receive alerts in our future advocacy efforts.

Please welcome Jenni Mitten, Account Executive for American Road Magazine, to the NYSTIA Community! Jenni brings 25 years of hands-on experience helping media, marketing, and technology-driven organizations grow through smart, effective sales strategies...

Meet Jenni

Robert Patterson is the SVP, Tourism Partnerships & Solutions, at Mindtrip. Mindtrip for Business is an AI-powered solution for tourism boards and DMOs that transforms inspirational website and social content into personalized, actionable trip plans. Seamlessly...

Meet Robert

Cayuga County's Brave Women Week returns March 1 8, 2026, inviting residents and visitors to celebrate the Finger Lakes’ special role in the women’s rights and suffrage movement through a full week of themed events, exhibits, tours, and shopping specials honoring...

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Finger Lakes Wine Country (FLWC) represents one of New York State’s most distinctive destinations. As FLWC enters a new chapter, they are seeking a strategic, full-service marketing agency to serve as their outsourced marketing department and long-term brand partner...

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The DEAI Committee has launched a special America 250 initiative, NY250: Untold Stories, dedicated to uncovering, preserving, and uplifting the diverse, often overlooked, and historically marginalized stories. The goal is to collect 250 untold stories, and we...

Contribute an untold story.

Big news for increasing Level 2 EV charging in New York. As of February 2026, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) added $15 million to the Charge Ready NY 2.0 (PON 5367) program—bringing the total available funding to $28 million...

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The National Comedy Center, the United States’ museum and national archive dedicated to the art form of comedy, was named the #1`Best Pop Culture Museum in the country by USA Today as part of the 2026 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, it was announced today.

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Visit Buffalo has released the results of a comprehensive tourism market study with a key finding: A new full-service convention center hotel is vital for the region’s continued growth as a host of meetings and conventions. The study, conducted by HVS, recommends... 

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AMERICAN ROAD is the ideal place to inspire road trip heritage-minded travelers to experience authentic, intriguing, nostalgic, and picturesque, off-the-beaten-path destinations.

Listed by Enjoy Travel Life as #1 in the Best Specialty Magazines for Travelers in 2024 and a social influencer KRED rating of 995/1000 in the travel category, there is no better place to promote your destination travel opportunities than AMERICAN ROAD. See strong results from your campaigns with AMERICAN ROAD, as more Americans are looking toward road-based travel for their next vacation destination!

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Through a special partnership with NYSTIA, New York destinations, attractions, and tourism businesses now have an exclusive opportunity to exhibit at the nation’s premier consumer travel show series—the Travel & Adventure shows—at a preferred NYSTIA rate!

2026 show markets include: New York City, Chicago, Washington DC, South Florida, Dallas, Seattle, and more!

Learn More & Sign Up

No new job postings have been shared this week, however you can check our Careers Page anytime for open positions.

Become a Member | Join the Partnership Community

Volunteer at a Travel Show | Be a Tourism Champion | Take Off, New York!

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