NEW YORK — Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul recently announced the start of New York state’s 2022 fall foliage and travel season, highlighted by the return of I LOVE NY’s Fall Foliage Reports and a new I LOVE NY broadcast and digital marketing campaign to showcase popular fall activities and attractions.
I LOVE NY is also collaborating with the state’s network of heritage tourism destinations on this year’s Path Through History Weekend, scheduled for Oct. 8 to 10, which will feature special events at the state’s historic sites.
“From colorful foliage and unparalleled natural landscapes to breathtaking historical sites and one-of-a-kind state parks, there’s nothing like New York in the fall,” the governor said in a news release. “During this season, we invite travelers from New York and out-of-state to plan a perfect autumn adventure — whether it’s climbing an Adirondack peak, visiting a Long Island winery, or walking along Buffalo’s waterfront — and see what our great state has to offer.”
Fall is one of New York’s most popular travel seasons, attracting visitors from around the world who support local businesses while exploring the unique and diverse communities across the state. To help travelers and foliage enthusiasts plan a fall getaway, I LOVE NY’s weekly foliage reports are issued every Wednesday. They are compiled using the on-location field observations from I LOVE NY’s team of more than 85 volunteer leaf spotters throughout the state’s 11 vacation regions.
The spotters track color changes in their area, detailing the prevalent leaf colors, approximate percentage of change and how much color change has progressed relative to peak conditions.
The reports also include an interactive foliage map, available on the I LOVE NY website, that tracks weekly changes and progression across the state throughout the season. The map includes recommended foliage viewing locations in each of the state’s vacation regions, plus examples of peak foliage in a given area and information about popular local and regional attractions. New this year, the interactive foliage map will include an option to filter attractions by category, including food and drinks well as arts and culture.
I LOVE NY is also launching a new fall marketing campaign to encourage fall travel, which includes a new 30-second spot highlighting some of the many ways to enjoy the season throughout New York state. The ad includes family-friendly fall favorites, like harvest events at local farms, Halloween attractions, zoos and foliage hikes, plus destinations like the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, and New York City’s Central Park.
Additionally, I LOVE NY will be hosting a Path Through History weekend on Oct. 8 to 10 to showcase some of the state’s historic and heritage travel sites. The Path Through History initiative uses 14 themes to organize more than 700 sites, attractions and locations throughout the state. The website includes maps, a user-friendly list of locations organized by theme and region, and an itinerary builder to help people plan their trips. More information on the 2022 Path Through History Weekend is available online at wdt.me/history_weekend.
Visitation in New York state sustains an economic impact of $85.5 billion and generates enough in state and local taxes to save every household in the state more than $1,000 annually. Tourism and hospitality is the state’s third largest industry, supporting one in 11 private sector jobs.
Travelers are invited to share their photos of New York state’s picturesque foliage on social media by using the -NYLovesFall hashtag. Photos submitted to this hashtag have a chance of being featured on the I LOVE NY fall foliage website and official I LOVE NY social media accounts reaching more than two million followers. I LOVE NY recently launched a TikTok account to reach additional audiences, complementing its existing accounts on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Thanks to its size and location, New York state traditionally has one of the longest and most colorful foliage seasons in the country. On any weekend from late September through mid-November, part of the state is likely experiencing peak foliage. Fall foliage reports and the interactive map are available at www.iloveny.com/foliage, or toll-free at 800-CALL-NYS (800-225-5697) from anywhere in the U.S., its territories and Canada.
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