Tourism is not an optional add-on to regional strategy—it is a foundational industry that creates jobs, attracts investment and pays for the public services the region’s residents value.
In addition to a revitalized port, the plan passed on Sept. 22 will also create 6,000 new homes—including 2,400 permanently-affordable units—as well as 28 acres of public space.
According to the New York State Gaming Commission website: the CAC for the Empire City project has scheduled a final vote on the $2.3-billion project on Thursday, Sept. 25 at 10 a.m.
Tourism is not an optional add-on to regional strategy—it is a foundational industry that creates jobs, attracts investment and pays for the public services the region’s residents value.
Tourism is an economic powerhouse for New York State — and the Hudson Valley is one of its most dynamic engines. As President & CEO of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation, I see firsthand how visitor spending translates into jobs, capital investment, and vibrant downtowns. In 2023 New York State welcomed a record 306.3 million visitors and generated $88 billion in direct visitor spending (a $137-billion total economic impact when indirect and induced effects are included). Those statewide gains are inseparable from regional success.
The Hudson Valley’s tourism footprint is large and growing. In 2023 the region recorded roughly $5.0 billion in visitor spending and supported 53,479 tourism-related jobs—an 8% increase in visitor spending year-over-year. That spending is geographically broad: Westchester County alone generated about $2.16 billion in direct tourism spending, Orange County about $1.20 billion, and Dutchess County roughly $756 million. These dollars sustain chefs and housekeepers, tour operators and site managers, landscapers, vineyard workers and a wide ecosystem of small businesses.
Concrete projects show how tourism investment becomes community-scale economic development. Bellefield at Historic Hyde Park is a case in point: envisioned as a $1-billion mixed-use hospitality, culinary and residential destination directly across from the Culinary Institute of America, Bellefield opened its first phase—The Inn at Bellefield, a 137-room, ~$55 million Residence Inn—in early 2024. Developers estimate hundreds of construction jobs during build-out and several hundred permanent positions when fully operational; local officials project Bellefield will be an originator of thousands of downstream jobs as its culinary, lodging and events uses scale. Bellefield is the type of large, catalytic investment that stitches hospitality, housing, and food-system entrepreneurship together.
Cultural anchors amplify economic impact by drawing high-spend and repeat visitors. The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival is in the process of creating a permanent, open-air home in Garrison—a roughly 14,850-square-foot venue—backed by state and federal arts awards (including a $10-million NYSCA award and federal congressional support announced in recent funding rounds). That new facility will extend the festival’s season, increase overnight stays in Putnam County, and multiply spending at restaurants, shops and nearby historic sites. Public investments that unlock cultural capital deliver measurable ROI in jobs and tourism receipts.
Iconic legacy resorts also anchor regional visitor appeal year-round. Mohonk Mountain House—a National Historic Landmark resort adjacent to the Mohonk Preserve—is a global draw for outdoor and wellness travelers and employs several hundred year-round and seasonal staff while feeding into Ulster County’s broader tourism economy. The Preserve itself welcomes well over 200,000 visitors annually, and the resort’s combination of lodging, events and outdoor programming creates stable, high-value tourism demand that supports local suppliers and payrolls.
International tourism, too, matters. While domestic travel remains the backbone of visitation, international arrivals rebounded sharply after the pandemic; in New York City alone international visitors numbered in the millions in 2023 and account for a disproportionate share of overnight spending. International guests frequently spend more per trip and stay longer—making targeted international marketing, improved air/rail gateway connections, and visa-friendly hospitality services powerful levers for Hudson Valley growth.
What should elected leaders take from this? First, protect and expand what works: fund destination marketing that tells the Hudson Valley story to domestic and international markets; prioritize workforce pipelines for hospitality (training, transportation and wage supports that reduce turnover) and invest in visitor-facing infrastructure—broadband, transit access, parking and wayfinding—that turns day-trippers into overnight guests.
Second, lean into public-private partnerships that scale cultural venues and resort upgrades; the returns are tangible in construction jobs, recurring operations payrolls and increased local tax receipts. Finally, align economic development and land-use policy so catalytic projects like Bellefield and cultural anchors such as the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival and Mohonk Mountain House can grow without losing the scenic, historic and agricultural character that defines our competitive advantage.
Tourism is not an optional add-on to regional strategy—it is a foundational industry that creates jobs, attracts investment and pays for the public services the region’s residents value. With strategic, targeted public support and continued private capital, the Hudson Valley will keep turning its cultural and natural assets into shared prosperity for residents and a world-class welcome for visitors.
About the author: Mike Oates is President & CEO of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation and a member of the New York State Tourism Advisory Council.
In Briarcliff Manor, where I serve as Deputy Mayor, we supplement the standard affordable housing approach by encouraging diversity of housing stock.
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On Sept. 29, 2025, at The Sonesta Hotel in White Plains, you’ll find more value, more interaction, and more ways to grow your business than ever before.
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