A 7-1 vote directs $1.5 million in visitor-funded lodging tax revenue toward an innovative program that meets travelers and residents where they are.
LIBERTY, N.Y. — The Sullivan Catskills Visitors Association continues its tourism investment in connecting visitors to our destination and inviting them back to an industry icon. For two centuries, the Sullivan Catskills has drawn people looking for something they cannot find at home. Hudson River School painters and city dwellers escaping the summer heat came here in the 1820s for the same thing today’s visitors do. A sense of place, a slower rhythm, and a feeling of belonging.
In a 7-1 vote, the Sullivan County Legislature approved a $1.5 million reinvestment of lodging tax revenue into activations that aim to strengthen relationships with visitors. With two mobile visitor centers, outfitted with satellite technology Wi-Fi, the vehicles will travel to main streets, festivals, trailheads, and the towns and hamlets across the county, bringing the visitor center to the visitor instead of asking the visitor to find it.
The program is built around a simple idea at the heart of SCVA’s mission. Tourism works best when it builds relationships, not just transactions. Each roadside conversation is a chance to learn what a traveler loves, point them toward a maker, farmer, or restaurant they would never have found alone, and invite them to come back. Over time, a first visit becomes a habit, and a habit becomes loyalty to the region and the businesses within it.
The value does not stop with travelers. In parts of the county where dependable internet has been out of reach, the centers will double as community connectivity hubs, supporting residents, students, and small businesses wherever the vehicles park. The goal reflects a core SCVA principle. Tourism should support local life, not strain it, and its benefits should reach every community that makes the region worth discovering.
How the work is funded is central to the story. Lodging tax revenue is paid only by overnight visitors, not by Sullivan County residents, and it is separate from the county budget that supports roads, schools, and public services. Reinvesting it puts dollars earned from outside the county back to work inside it. In approving this program, the Legislature did not redirect local resources. It channeled visitor spending toward the communities those visitors came to enjoy.
“It’s always exciting when we can align on a bold, strategic approach to growing paid overnight accommodations. What makes this especially compelling is that the tax revenue we’re reinvesting is paid entirely by visitors, not local taxpayers,” said Michael Martelon, President & CEO of the Sullivan Catskills Visitors Association. I’m excited, I’m grateful, and I applaud the members of the legislature for recognizing the incredible opportunity we have to build a more sustainable, long-term marketing engine for Sullivan Catskills. One that gives back to the very communities that make this region worth visiting,” said Martelon.
The mobile visitor centers are part of SCVA’s transformation to a “next-generation” destination marketing organization, a data-native destination leadership organization. The brand evolution, anchored by the Spirit of “&” brand and its belief that nature and culture, calm and creativity, and heritage and reinvention can coexist, also includes the new here editorial platform and a rebuilt SullivanCatskills.com. Sullivan County’s visitor economy surpassed $1 billion in total impact in 2024, and SCVA’s aim is to keep that momentum growing while ensuring its rewards are shared across the county’s 15 towns and more than 100 hamlets and villages.
Acerca de la Asociación de Visitantes de Sullivan Catskills
The Sullivan Catskills Visitors Association (SCVA) is the official destination management organization for Sullivan County, New York, a place of unexpected balance where nature & culture, stillness & spark, and depth & play coexist. SCVA works to promote Sullivan County as a premier tourism destination, strengthen the region’s visitor economy, and serve as a connector, convener, and champion for the communities, businesses, and people who make Sullivan County worth discovering.
15 Sullivan Avenue, Suite 1 | Liberty, NY 12754 | 845.747.4449 | SullivanCatskills.com
