(8/15/16 – Syracuse, NY) The Central New York Vacation Region is celebrating its fifth consecutive year of growth in tourism spending thanks in part to a trio of marketing campaigns created by ABC Creative Group.
Traveler spending jumped $75 million between 2014 and 2015 to an unprecedented total of nearly $2.1 billion, according to a statewide study by Tourism Economics. The 3.7 percent increase in tourism spending builds off the 4.7 percent ($90.8 million) boost that the Central New York Vacation Region saw between 2013 and 2014.
A longtime client of ABC Creative Group, the Central New York region has enjoyed five consecutive years of growth, the most significant of which came in 2013 when Brew Central launched. Since then, it has added marketing campaigns focused on food (CNYFresh) and outdoor adventure as well.
The award-winning Brew Central campaign targets craft beverage connoisseurs at national and international levels, inviting them to experience the stories, traditions and tastes of Central New York.
In 2015, nearly 22 percent, or about $464 million, of traveler spending went to food and beverage – second only to lodging (26 percent) and higher than four other categories, including retail/services (20 percent) and recreation (19 percent).
New York state as a whole gained 1 percent in tourism revenue from 2014 to 2015, with Central New York among the leading contributors to that growth.