Yates, Schuyler beat tourism averages

FINGER LAKES (8/17/16)--After lagging behind state tourism trends in 2014, Yates and Schuyler Counties have grown to exceed both the state and area in tourism spending growth in 2015. This new data comes from a study conducted by Philadelphia-based Tourism Economics, which is is part of the Oxford Economics Company headquartered in Oxford, England. The company provides economic analysis, forecasts and consulting advice. According to the study, the growth in both counties surpassed the state and the Finger Lakes area in the category of traveler spending.
Yates County saw 5.3 percent more traveler spending in 2015 than it did in 2014. Traveler spending increased to $65,818,000 in 2015, up from $62,523,000 in 2014. Meanwhile, the overall Finger Lakes region's tourism spending was flat from year to year.
The report compares the tourism spending among 14 Finger Lakes counties, which includes Yates, Schuyler, Steuben, Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Livingston, Monroe, Onondaga, Ontario, Seneca, Tioga, Tompkins and Wayne Counties. According to the report, 34 percent of 2015 tourism spending in Yates County goes toward food and beverages, while second homes is 30 percent. Lodging and retail make up 19 and 14 percent respectively, while transportation and recreation spending amounts to 2 and 1 percent.
The report also indicates Yates County saw $26,685,000 in total labor income for 866 employees, generating $4.8 million in local taxes and $3.7 million in state taxes. Without the tourism-generated state and local taxes, the report states the average household in Yates County would have to pay an additional $886 in taxes.
Only two counties exceeded Yates' growth in 2015. Schuyler County experienced an increase of 11.1 percent increase to $37,546,000 in 2015 to $33,784,000 in 2014. This comes after seeing a small decrease in tourism spending between 2014 and 2013. Wayne County also saw an increase of 7.6 percent. Meanwhile, nearby Steuben County saw a 1 percent decrease in traveler spending during this time, along with, Ontario County, which had a 0.8 percent decrease.
The report also indicates Schuyler County saw $15,294,000 in total labor income for 580 employees, generating $2.9 million in local taxes and $2.1 million in state taxes. Without the tourism-generated state and local taxes, the report states the average household in Schuyler County would have to pay an additional $653 in taxes.
The Finger Lakes region accounted for 5 percent of all traveler spending in the state in 2015. However, it showed no growth in traveler spending in 2015 from 2014, remaining steady at 2.9 billion. The highest growth shown by a region during this timeframe is a 3.8 percent increase in the Catskills region. The Chautaqua-Allegany region saw the worst decline, being down 1.5 percent from 2014.
As a whole, New York State's tourism economy slightly expanded in 2015 with 1 percent growth in traveler spending, reaching a new high of $63.1 billion. There were 764,000 jobs sustained in the state by tourism activity, with 8.3 percent of all state employment being sustained by tourism either directly or indirectly. Tourism is the fourth largest employer in New York State on the basis of direct tourism employment.