Media Contact: Nikita Jankowski
nikita@belesai.com
(315)706-4443
TOUR CAYUGA TOURISM’S PROMOTION
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Tour Cayuga: What They Do and How Visitor Dollars Directly
Support Local Residents and Deliver Tax Relief
AUBURN, NY [February 12, 2026] — The Cayuga County Office of Tourism, known as Tour Cayuga, has launched a new advocacy campaign aimed at clarifying its vital role within the community. While the office is tasked with promoting the stunning region to visitors and assisting tourists, its efforts are deeply interwoven with the well-being of residents, providing essential economic benefits and significant tax relief.
A blog post, What Does the Cayuga County Office of Tourism Do?, published by the organization’s Public Relations Manager, Noah Howard, stated that the simple question caught them off guard recently.
“It wasn’t a challenge, just honest curiosity and a desire to understand,” said Howard. “We saw it as an opportunity. For all the stories we share about Cayuga County, we rarely pause to explain our own.”
That question is what kicked off an advocacy video campaign to inform the community of Tour Cayuga’s function: welcoming the world to experience the authentic stories, sights, and businesses of Cayuga County, and in doing so, supporting the heart of the local community. The office, designated as the state’ s Tourism Promotion Agency (TPA) for Cayuga County, emphasizes that tourism is not merely an amenity but a crucial engine of economic development.
Courtney Kasper, Executive Director of Tour Cayuga, emphasized the campaign’s educational goal: “We’re often telling the story of others and the destination, but we haven’t really told the story about our office and what we do… Tourism is not a luxury; it is the economic engine that supports more than 1,000 jobs and builds community pride.”
The Economic Engine: Investment and Local Tax Relief
The success of Tour Cayuga’s promotional work generates a substantial return on investment that supports the area’s shared quality of life. The office is primarily funded by the occupancy tax paid by overnight travelers, not county residents. This visitor-generated revenue is then reinvested, helping to fund local services and infrastructure, significantly easing the tax burden on households.
This concept is the cornerstone of Tour Cayuga’s new campaign, which features the launch of a new video series showcasing stakeholders and tourism partners explaining the direct benefits.
The data confirms this positive cycle. Erin Katzker, Managing Director, REV Theatre, noted, “For every dollar in Tour Cayuga’s budget, the county sees $9 in tax revenue. That is money that goes into our local county’s infrastructure. The more we invest in our county, the more people will want to come and live, work, and invest.”
Further illustrating the scope, Bob Provost, President & CEO of the New York State Tourism Industry Association (NYSTIA) stated, “In 2024, there was $169 million spent by visitors to Cayuga County. It was $10 million in county revenue collected on those expenditures… Secondly, there’s $69 million that ended up in someone’s paycheck in Cayuga County. It goes into local payroll, and that is probably the most overlooked aspect of tourism, which is its support for local employment.”
Based on research by Oxford Economics, this visitor spending produces enough state and local tax revenue to provide approximately $600 in annual tax relief for every Cayuga County household, while sustaining more than 1,500 local jobs.
Amplifying Authentic Stories and Building Community Pride
Beyond the financial metrics, Tour Cayuga serves as a powerful voice, championing the unique spirit, history, and small businesses that define the county. This role is often referred to as nurturing “Pride in Place.”
Nicole Mahoney, CEO of Travel Alliance Partnership (TAP), commented on this unique role: “What I love about Cayuga County and their tourism focus is that they are really focused on telling the stories of authentic Cayuga County… You’re amplifying them for a visitor, but the residents see that too, and then they become part of the story.”
The office works to weave together the county’s history—from the living legacy of Harriet Tubman to the innovation of Theodore Case’s sound-on-film technology—and its natural beauty, including the Finger Lakes Wine Region, into a unified story that invites both travelers and residents to look closer.
Arturo Ganoa, CPO Wheel the World, affirmed, “Tour Cayuga has done an amazing job by highlighting all of the different members of their community… It’s an additional revenue stream for hospitality businesses in the Finger Lakes region.”
Through partnerships, such as with Wheel the World’s “Destination Verified” program, Tour Cayuga also strives to improve accessibility across the region for all visitors.
The Proof and The People
In one of the videos on Tourism Advocacy, Gwen Webber-McLeod, CEO of Gwen, Inc., and Chair of the Auburn Industrial Development Authority, said, “The concept of the impact multiplier really resonates with me as a person who is leading in the region’s economic development ecosystem. Part of what we do is attract businesses to the community—we frequently talk about what’s here to visit and tour as part of that, and I think as more generational diversity happens in companies, young people want to go to a place where it’s going on.”
Kasper added, “The ‘Proof’ is the 9-to-1 ROI, but the ‘People’ make it count. They translate abstract data into tangible job support and community pride. Our video series introduces you to the small business owners, frontline staff, and historic site guides who see visitor dollars circulate through their businesses and neighborhoods every day… We urge everyone—especially our local leaders—to watch these stories and see the direct link between tourism promotion and community benefit.”
The Tour Cayuga office hopes to solidify Cayuga County’s position as a regional leader in smart Destination Management Organization (DMO) advocacy by transparently sharing verifiable economic data and the personal stories of those who benefit.
To view the first video in the series, Click Here.
For more information, contact Nikita Jankowski at 315-706-4443 or email nikita@belesai.com.
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The Cayuga County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc. was established in 1995 as Cayuga County’s official tourism promotion a gency. Our mission is to promote, support, and increase tourism, thereby stimulating economic growth and improving the quality of life for area residents.