POUGHKEEPSIE – Westchester County Executive George Latimer has renewed his call for a regional approach to tourism for the Hudson Valley. While in Poughkeepsie, Latimer said it is critical to understand that when people come to this area, possibly after visiting New York City, the tourists are not coming to a specific county but rather the Hudson Valley as a whole.
“People are not going to Westchester or Putnam, or Dutchess,” Latimer said while in Poughkeepsie. “They’re coming for a combination; West Point, Legoland, Lindhurst, the FDR Museum, and the Walkway Over the Hudson. They’re visiting the region.”
Calling the Hudson Valley “A beautiful part of the country,” the leader of Westchester is hoping the officials of the other counties in the region will help “make sure the world knows about it.”
“We are trying to mesh as best we can our efforts to bring people to this region,” Latimer said in working with the other Hudson Valley county executives. He noted that the tremendous physical beauty of the Hudson Valley and established transportation routes should be marketed to potential tourists.
In Dutchess County alone, tourism accounts for $622 million in visitor spending, 9,000 tourism-driven jobs, and more than $87 million in tax revenue.
