The Economic Impact of Tourism in
New York State
Finger Lakes Focus
May 2010
Prepared by:
Tourism Economics
121, St Aldates, Oxford, OX1 1HB UK
303 W Lancaster Ave. Wayne PA 19087 USA
1 610 995 9600
www.tourismeconomics.com
Key themes for 2009
 The recession affected the New York State tourism economy
in a range of ways in 2009:
■ Visitor volumes fell across all segments, especially overnight
visitors
■ Per trip spending declined on account of shorter length of stay
and general consumer caution
■ Spending contracted at an even greater rate due to discounting
and generally lower prices for tourism-related goods and
services. For example, rooms rates were 17% lower than in the
prior year, airfares were 8% lower, and fuel prices were down
27%.
 As a result, although visitor volumes contracted a modest
3.4%, visitor spending fell at a rate of 13.8%.
 Tourism employment declined in tandem by 4.0%.
2
Headline results
 The visitor economy remains a large contributor to business
sales, employment, and taxes in New York State.
 Visitors to New York State spent $45.8 billion in 2009.
 This spending generated $75 billion in total business sales
including indirect and induced impacts.
 660,915 jobs were sustained by visitors to New York State
last year with total income of $25.5 billion.
 Approximately 7.8% (1 in 13 jobs) of all private non-far
employment in the state is sustained by tourism.
 Tourism in New York State generated $12.6 billion in taxes in
2009, with $6.2 billion accruing to state and local
governments.
3
Visitor spending by market
$ Billions
 International visitor spending fell at a greater rate (15%) than
domestic spending (-13%) as international visitor volumes fell
by approximately 7%.
60.0
International
Domestic
50.0
14.4
12.5
40.0
10.5
30.0
14.8
12.6
11.2
7.7
20.0
27.4
30.1
31.3
2004
2005
34.1
36.7
38.3
2007
2008
33.2
10.0
0.0
2003
4
2006
2009
Growth in visitor spending
60
15%
$ Billions
Visitor Spend
% change (right)
50
10%
40
5%
30
0%
20
-5%
Business
10
Day
-10%
0
-15%
2004
5
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
 The tourism industry
contracted 13.8% in
2009.
 This more modest rate
of growth was
expected after a
remarkable growth
trend since 2004.
 Most if not all of the
growth in 2008
occurred in the first half
of the year.
Visitor spending by market
 Both domestic and international spending in New York
contracted in 2009, with Canadian and overseas visitor
spending posting the greatest losses.
Tourism Direct Sales
Domestic
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2005 Growth
2006 Growth
2007 Growth
2008 Growth
2009 Growth
6
$
$
$
$
$
$
30,140
31,287
34,057
36,724
38,259
33,163
4%
9%
8%
4%
-13%
Canada
$
$
$
$
$
$
732
816
1,021
1,287
1,340
1,132
12%
25%
26%
4%
-16%
Overseas
$
$
$
$
$
$
9,768
10,384
11,496
13,070
13,508
11,482
6%
11%
14%
3%
-15%
Total
$
$
$
$
$
$
40,006
43,431
46,574
51,081
53,108
45,777
9%
7%
10%
4%
-14%
All sectors suffer in 2009
Visitor Spending By Sector
 Visitors spent $12.2 billion in
the lodging sector and $10.5
billion in restaurants last year.
The transportation industry
received $9.7 billion from
visitors.
 The most significant declines
were experience by the
lodging sector (-20%), gas
stations (-19%), and retail
trade (-18%).
Billion $
16
2007
14
2009
2008
12
10
8
6
4
Business
2
Day
Lodging
Food
Service
Source : Tourism Economics
7
Transport
Retail &
Svc
Stations
Recreation
Visitor spending by sector
 Lower prices across the board fueled declines in visitor spending.
Airfares, room rates, fuel prices, and retail incentives all
accentuated the declines in gross visitor spending.
Visitor Spending
Transport
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2009 % change
8
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
8,154 $
8,790 $
9,219 $
9,410 $
10,515 $
Business
10,881 $
9,681 $
-11.0%
Lodging
9,200
10,299
11,575
12,832
14,301
14,710
12,208
-17.0%
Food
Service
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
8,035
8,715
9,663
10,565
11,357
Day
11,492
10,511
-8.5%
Recreation
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
3,540
4,020
4,259
4,668
5,191
5,336
4,668
-12.5%
Retail & Svc
Stations
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
7,294
8,182
8,714
9,100
9,717
10,689
8,710
-18.5%
TOTAL
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
36,223
40,006
43,431
46,574
51,081
53,108
45,777
-13.8%
Annual Growth
3.3%
10.4%
8.6%
7.2%
9.7%
4.0%
-13.8%
Visitor spending distribution
2008
2009
Recreation
10%
Recreation
10%
Lodging
27%
Lodging
28%
Retail & Svc
Stations
19%
Retail & Svc
Stations
20%
Business
Transport
20%
9
Day
Food Service
22%
Transport
21%
Food Service
23%
How visitor spending generates impact
•
Travelers create direct economic value within a discreet group of sectors (e.g. recreation,
transportation). This supports a relative proportion of jobs, wages, taxes, and GDP within
each sector.
•
Each directly affected sector also purchases goods and services as inputs (e.g. food
wholesalers, utilities) into production. These impacts are called indirect impacts.

10
Lastly, the induced impact is
generated when employees
whose incomes are
generated either directly or
indirectly by tourism, spend
those incomes in the state
economy.
Tourism GDP
Tourism GDP (Value Added)
(US$ Million, 2009)
Direct*
Agriculture, Fishing, Mining
Construction and Utilities
Manufacturing
Wholesale Trade
Air Transport
Other Transport
Retail Trade
Gasoline Stations
Communications
Finance, Insurance and Real Estate
Business Services
Education and Health Care
Recreation and Entertainment
Lodging
Food & Beverage
Personal Services Business
Government
TOTAL
% change
Indirect
Induced
Total
22,423
124
592
405
628
14
581
158
6
518
1,730
2,729
10
147
55
165
142
161
8,166
66
313
371
608
19
175
1,011
36
301
1,384
793
1,748
121
65
335
337
1,806
9,488
190
904
776
1,236
2,494
2,535
2,422
645
819
4,315
3,522
1,758
3,069
6,925
6,020
479
1,967
40,077
-13.4%
-9.9%
-7.6%
-11.4%
2,461
1,779
1,253
603
1,200
2,801
6,805
5,521
Day
% change
-9.1%
-9.1%
-8.8%
-8.8%
-12.9%
-7.5%
-13.5%
-18.3%
-9.1%
-6.7%
-9.4%
-7.6%
-12.2%
-19.3%
-8.5%
-8.3%
-7.8%
-11.4%
 The tourism sector generated state GDP of $40 billion in 2009. This
is 4% of the state economy.
11
Tourism employment
Tourism Employment
2009
Direct
Agriculture, Fishing, Mining
Construction and Utilities
Manufacturing
Wholesale Trade
Air Transport
Other Transport
Retail Trade
Gasoline Stations
Communications
Finance, Insurance and Real Estate
Business Services
Education and Health Care
Recreation and Entertainment
Lodging
Food & Beverage
Business
Personal Services
Government
TOTAL
% change
29,769
62,280
22,415
10,859
7,390
65,250
87,326
170,149
Day
455,437
-4.0%
Indirect
3,259
2,540
4,728
4,769
169
10,655
3,209
117
2,605
9,595
33,863
252
4,219
726
5,689
3,977
1,551
91,922
-3.5%
Induced
1,439
553
3,464
4,536
220
3,210
20,408
679
1,216
7,507
10,309
33,426
3,134
887
11,353
10,268
949
113,556
-2.6%
Total
% change
4,697
3,093
8,192
9,305
30,158
76,144
46,031
11,655
3,820
24,492
44,172
33,678
72,603
88,939
187,190
14,244
2,500
660,915
-3.7%
 The tourism sector supported 660,915 jobs, or 7.8% of all private
non-farm employment in New York State last year.
12
-3.2%
-3.3%
-3.1%
-3.1%
-6.6%
-3.5%
-4.6%
-3.5%
-3.2%
-2.3%
-3.3%
-2.7%
-5.1%
-4.0%
-3.0%
-2.9%
-3.2%
-3.7%
Business
13
Bus Svcs
Retail Trade
Recreation
Other Transp
Lodging
F&B
Day
Constr, Utilities
Communications
Agriculture
Manufacturing
Wholesale
Gasoline
Personal Serv
Fin, Insur
Air Transport
150
Edu, Health
Thousands
Tourism employment
200
Induced
Indirect
Direct
100
Significant indirect/induced benefits
50
0
Tourism employment ranked
Employment Ranking
Rank
Industry
1 Health care and social assistance
2 Professional and business services
3 Retail trade
4 Finance and insurance
5 Food services and drinking places
6 Manufacturing
7 Tourism
8 Administrative and waste services
9 Educational services
10 Wholesale trade
11 Construction
12 Transportation and utilities
13 Information
Business
Day
14 Real estate and rental and leasing
2009 BLS
1,281
1,096
861
498
493
477
455
404
385
331
324
264
254
180
 Tourism is the 7th largest private sector employer in New York State
on the basis of direct tourism employment. (Comparisons are with
2009 industry employment, BLS.)
14
Tourism income
Tourism Income (Compensation)
(US$ Million)
Direct
Agriculture, Fishing, Mining
Construction and Utilities
Manufacturing
Wholesale Trade
Air Transport
Other Transport
Retail Trade
Gasoline Stations
Communications
Finance, Insurance and Real Estate
Business Services
Education and Health Care
Recreation and Entertainment
Lodging
Food & Beverage
Business
Personal Services
Government
TOTAL
% change
Indirect
2,183
1,295
684
316
278
1,653
4,451
4,002
Day
14,863
-7.2%
Induced
62
272
270
367
13
494
101
3
307
733
2,171
10
135
32
121
116
98
5,304
35
112
228
349
16
137
635
17
144
716
652
1,569
91
38
241
284
58
5,321
-6.4%
-5.6%
Total
96
384
497
716
2,212
1,926
1,421
335
451
1,727
2,823
1,578
1,880
4,521
4,364
400
156
25,487
 Tourism generated income fell by 6.7% last year as both
employment and average incomes fell.
15
-6.7%
% change
-5.1%
-6.1%
-6.0%
-6.0%
-9.4%
-6.4%
-7.4%
-6.4%
-6.1%
-5.6%
-6.2%
-5.6%
-7.9%
-6.9%
-5.9%
-5.8%
-6.1%
-6.7%
Tourism tax generation
Tourism-Generated Taxes
(US$ Million)
Total
Federal Taxes
Corporate
Indirect Business
Personal Income
Social Security
State and Local Taxes
Corporate
Personal Income
Sales
Property
Excise and Fees
Business
State Unemployment
TOTAL
% change
16
6,463.6
1,084.3
486.9
2,328.5
2,564.0
6,198.8
1,154.8
1,006.8
1,764.5
1,949.2
229.6
Day
93.9
12,662.4
-11.9%
 Tourism generated
$12.6 billion in taxes in
2009, contracting by
11.9%.
 State and local taxes
alone tallied $6.2
billion.
 In the absence of
tourism activity, the
average New York
household would pay
an extra $778 a year to
cover the gap in state
and local taxes.
Regional Summary
17
Visitor spending by region
Visitor Spending, 2009
ChautauquaAllegheny
1%
Finger Lakes
Niagara 5%
4%
Thous. Islands
1%
Adirondacks
2%
Cen. Leath.
3%
Capital-Saratoga
3%
Catskills
2%
Hudson Valley
6%
New York City
63%
18
Long Island
10%
 New York State is
divided into 11
economic regions.
 New York City is the
largest single tourism
region with 63% of
state visitor spend.
 New York City, Long
Island and Hudson
Valley together
comprise nearly 80%
of New York State
visitor spend.
Reliance on tourism
Tourism Share of Regional Employment 2009
18.0%
16.0%
14.0%
Direct Tourism
12.0%
Total Tourism
10.0%
8.0%
6.0%
4.0%
2.0%
Adirondacks
Catskills
Chaut.-Allegheny
Cen. Leather.
New York City
Niagara
Thous. Islands
Capital-Saratoga
Finger Lakes
Hudson Valley
Long Island
0.0%
 Tourism is an integral
part of every region’s
economy, generating
from 6% to 17% of
employment.
 Tourism is most
important to the
Adirondacks and
Catskills, generating
17% and 15% of total
employment,
respectively.
Note: All regional and county tourism shares are calculated using QCEW (ES-202) employment and wage totals as
produced by the NYS Dept. of Labor.
19
Tourism Growth
Growth in Tourism Spending
8%
2008
6%
2009
4%
2%
-10%
-12%
-14%
-16%
20
New York excl. NYC
New York State
New York City
Long Island
Hudson Valley
Catskills
Cen. Leath.
Adirondacks
Capital-Saratoga
-8%
Thous. Islands
-6%
Finger Lakes
-4%
Niagara
-2%
Chautauqua-Allegheny
0%
 Visitor spending fell
across every region of the
state last year.
 New York City
experienced the largest
declines in spending on
account of significant
room rate cuts and
curtailed visitor spending
on retail and
entertainment.
 The Thousand Islands,
Catskills, and Finger
Lakes regions were the
best performing in the
state.
Regional Growth
Visitor Spend
Year-Over-Year Comparison
0.0025
Visitor Spend '000s
1. Chautauqua-Allegheny
2. Greater Niagara
3. Finger Lakes
4. Thousand Islands
5. Adirondacks
6. Central Leatherstocking
7. Capital-Saratoga
8. Catskills
9. Hudson Valley
10. Long Island
11. New York City
Business
TOTAL
2008
Day
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
510,676
2,118,638
2,666,167
433,056
1,194,114
1,760,230
1,679,103
1,027,978
3,089,709
5,136,334
33,485,671
53,101,676
2009
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
455,018
1,904,163
2,454,950
407,899
1,060,646
1,588,459
1,495,679
946,228
2,674,712
4,471,678
28,317,615
45,777,048
% Change
-10.9%
-10.1%
-7.9%
-5.8%
-11.2%
-9.8%
-10.9%
-8.0%
-13.4%
-12.9%
-15.4%
-13.8%
0.002
0.0015
Delaware
0.001
0.0005
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
0
1
21
1
1.2
Regional Tourism Summary
Tourism Economic Impact
Combined Direct, Indirect, and Induced
Tourism Economic Impact
1. Chautauqua-Allegheny
2. Greater Niagara
3. Finger Lakes
4. Thousand Islands
5. Adirondacks
6. Central Leatherstocking
7. Capital-Saratoga
8. Catskills
9. Hudson Valley
10. Long Island
11. New York City
TOTAL
Business
22
Direct Sales,
'000s
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
Labor Income, Employment,
'000s
Persons
455,018 $
1,904,163 $
2,454,950 $
407,899 $
1,060,646 $
1,588,459 $
1,495,679 $
946,228 $
2,674,712 $
4,471,678 $
28,317,615 $
45,777,048Day
$
215,104
1,029,641
1,325,414
184,912
505,180
827,642
807,971
437,115
1,482,922
2,394,276
16,207,245
25,417,421
10,526
44,627
56,652
8,273
18,835
31,244
32,269
16,997
48,337
68,858
325,016
661,634
Local Taxes,
'000s
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
29,692
124,373
167,539
26,100
70,700
99,854
95,480
59,047
172,104
279,944
2,097,051
3,221,883
State Taxes,
'000s
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
29,591
123,831
159,649
26,526
68,976
103,300
97,266
61,535
173,941
290,801
1,841,541
2,976,956
Regional Tourism Distribution
Tourism Economic Impact
Regional Shares
Tourism Distribution
1. Chautauqua-Allegheny
2. Greater Niagara
3. Finger Lakes
4. Thousand Islands
5. Adirondacks
6. Central Leatherstocking
7. Capital-Saratoga
8. Catskills
9. Hudson Valley
10. Long Island
11. New York City
TOTAL
Business
23
Sales
Labor Income
1%
4%
5%
1%
2%
3%
3%
2%
6%
10%
62%
100%Day
1%
4%
5%
1%
2%
3%
3%
2%
6%
9%
64%
100%
Employment
2%
7%
9%
1%
3%
5%
5%
3%
7%
10%
49%
100%
Local Taxes
1%
4%
5%
1%
2%
3%
3%
2%
5%
9%
65%
100%
State Taxes
1%
4%
5%
1%
2%
3%
3%
2%
6%
10%
62%
100%
Regional Detail for
Finger Lakes
Business
24
Day
Finger Lakes, Total Tourism Impact
Tourism Spending
 Tourism in the Finger Lakes
is a $2.45 billion industry,
supporting over 56,000 jobs.
 Monroe county represents
36% of the region’s tourism
sales with $887 million in
visitor spending.
 Visitor spending in the region
contracted 7.9% in 2009.
Wayne Yates
2%
Tompkins 1%
6%
Tioga
1%
Steuben
5%
Schuyler
1%
Day
Onondaga
29%
25
Chemung
Cortland
3%
2%
Livingston
2%
Seneca
2%
Ontario
7%
Business
Cayuga
3%
Monroe
36%
Finger Lakes, Total Tourism Impact
Total Tourism
Impact, 2009
Cayuga
Chemung
Cortland
Livingston
Monroe
Onondaga
Ontario
Schuyler
Seneca
Steuben
Tioga
Tompkins
Wayne
Yates
TOTAL
26
Visitor Spend
'000
Labor Income,
'000
$79,223
$82,121
$41,950
$36,917
$887,220
$715,632
$164,616
$26,374
$41,487
$112,790
$30,173
$150,843
$32,225
$53,380
$2,454,950
$38,279
$44,999
$21,859
$18,907
$496,542
$397,810
$86,722
$10,620
$19,889
$52,973
$15,325
$82,863
$15,239
Day $23,387
$1,325,414
Business
Employment
1,746
2,062
1,401
1,048
20,052
16,799
4,122
529
873
2,125
831
3,291
937
836
56,652
Local Taxes
'000
$5,214
$5,432
$2,893
$2,292
$60,139
$50,636
$10,656
$1,853
$2,665
$7,646
$1,947
$10,833
$1,811
$3,522
$167,539
State Taxes '000
$5,152
$5,340
$2,728
$2,401
$57,697
$46,539
$10,705
$1,715
$2,698
$7,335
$1,962
$9,810
$2,096
$3,471
$159,649
Finger Lakes, Visitor Spending
Tourism Spending
Second
Homes
6%
 Travelers spent $2.45 billion
in the Finger Lakes in 2009
across a diverse range of
sectors.
 Spending at restaurants and
for lodging comprised 28%
and 23% of the total,
respectively.
Business
27
Lodging
23%
Transport
19%
Recreation
5%
Day
Retail & Svc
Stations
19%
F&B
28%
Finger Lakes, Visitor Spending
2009 Visitor Spend
'000s
Cayuga
Chemung
Cortland
Livingston
Monroe
Onondaga
Ontario
Schuyler
Seneca
Steuben
Tioga
Tompkins
Wayne
Yates
TOTAL
28
Lodging
$22,227
$14,256
$7,573
$5,892
$228,094
$156,789
$29,461
$6,958
$7,595
$24,180
$11,010
$38,072
$2,534
$8,335
Business$562,974
Recreation
$3,008
$2,748
$2,997
$908
$42,200
$28,086
$8,703
$2,126
$1,373
$7,961
$2,698
$8,175
$1,724
$481
$113,188
Day
F&B
$17,732
$29,041
$17,130
$15,605
$255,645
$197,405
$62,350
$4,483
$15,298
$24,461
$6,343
$40,930
$11,378
$17,763
$715,563
Retail & Svc
Stations
Transport
$13,399
$15,196
$9,297
$7,483
$176,277
$127,800
$33,519
$3,833
$7,912
$18,985
$6,558
$28,796
$5,097
$8,433
$462,584
$9,107
$18,221
$844
$2,212
$180,435
$186,182
$16,154
$0
$753
$6,061
$286
$31,105
$3,405
$1,018
$455,782
Second
Homes
$13,750
$2,659
$4,109
$4,817
$4,570
$19,371
$14,430
$8,974
$8,555
$31,142
$3,278
$3,766
$8,088
$17,351
$144,858
Total
$79,223
$82,121
$41,950
$36,917
$887,220
$715,632
$164,616
$26,374
$41,487
$112,790
$30,173
$150,843
$32,225
$53,380
$2,454,950
Regional Growth
Visitor Spend
Year-Over-Year Comparison
0.0025
Visitor Spend '000s
Cayuga
Chemung
Cortland
Livingston
Monroe
Onondaga
Ontario
Schuyler
Seneca
Steuben
Tioga
Tompkins
Wayne
Yates
TOTAL
Business
2008
Day
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
88,461
89,158
44,784
39,858
963,071
776,903
176,990
26,364
39,827
123,526
32,464
170,256
35,741
58,762
2,666,167
2009
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
79,223
82,121
41,950
36,917
887,220
715,632
164,616
26,374
41,487
112,790
30,173
150,843
32,225
53,380
2,454,950
% Change
-10.4%
-7.9%
-6.3%
-7.4%
-7.9%
-7.9%
-7.0%
0.0%
4.0%
-8.7%
-7.1%
-11.4%
-9.8%
-9.2%
-7.9%
0.002
0.0015
Erie
0.001
0.0005
0
1
0
0.2
0.4
0.0025
0.002
0.0015
Cayuga
0.001
29
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
Finger Lakes, Labor Income
Tourism-Generated Labor Income
$500
$450
$400
Millions
$350
$300
Indirect/Induced
$250
Direct
$200
$150
$100
Yates
Wayne
Tioga
Steuben
Seneca
Schuyler
Ontario
Tompkins
Day
Onondaga
Monroe
Livingston
Business
Cortland
Cayuga
$0
Chemung
$50
 Tourism in the Finger Lakes generated $780 million in direct labor income
and $1.3 billion including indirect and induced impacts.
 Tourism is most important to the economies of Yates and Schuyler Counties,
generating 12.7% and 7.4%, respectively, of all labor income.
30
Finger Lakes, Labor Income
2009 Tourism Labor
Income, '000
Cayuga
Chemung
Cortland
Livingston
Monroe
Onondaga
Ontario
Schuyler
Seneca
Steuben
Tioga
Tompkins
Wayne
Yates
TOTAL
31
Business
Direct
$22,521
$26,474
$12,860
$11,124
$292,131
$234,044
$51,021
$6,248
$11,701
$31,166
$9,016
$48,751
$8,966
Day
$13,759
$779,782
Total (Direct,
Indir., Induced)
$38,279
$44,999
$21,859
$18,907
$496,542
$397,810
$86,722
$10,620
$19,889
$52,973
$15,325
$82,863
$15,239
$23,387
$1,325,414
Share (Direct)
2.6%
1.9%
2.3%
1.7%
1.8%
2.3%
3.0%
4.4%
3.1%
1.8%
1.4%
2.5%
0.9%
7.5%
2.1%
Share (Total)
4.4%
3.3%
3.9%
2.9%
3.1%
3.9%
5.0%
7.4%
5.2%
3.0%
2.3%
4.2%
1.5%
12.7%
3.5%
Finger Lakes, Labor Income
Tourism-Generated Labor Income
Share of Economy, 2009
 3.5% of all labor income in
the Finger Lakes is
generated by tourism.
 Yates county is the most
dependent upon tourism with
12.7% of all labor
compensation generated by
visitors.
Business
TOTAL
Yates
Wayne
Tompkins
Tioga
Steuben
Seneca
Schuyler
Ontario
Onondaga
Monroe
Livingston
Cortland
Chemung
Cayuga
Day
0.0%
Share (Total)
Share (Direct)
3.0%
6.0%
9.0%
Share of Econom y
32
12.0%
15.0%
Finger Lakes, Tourism Employment
Tourism-Generated Employment
Share of Economy, 2009
 6.2% of all employment in
the Finger Lakes is
generated by tourism.
 Yates county is the most
dependent upon tourism with
12.4% of all employment
sustained by visitors.
Business
TOTAL
Yates
Wayne
Tompkins
Tioga
Steuben
Seneca
Schuyler
Ontario
Onondaga
Monroe
Livingston
Cortland
Chemung
Day
Cayuga
0.0%
Share (Total)
Share (Direct)
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
8.0%
Share of Econom y
33
10.0%
12.0%
14.0%
Finger Lakes, Tourism Employment
2009 Tourism
Employment
Cayuga
Chemung
Cortland
Livingston
Monroe
Onondaga
Ontario
Schuyler
Seneca
Steuben
Tioga
Tompkins
Wayne
Yates
TOTAL
34
Business
Direct
Total (Direct, Ind.,
Share (Direct)
Induced)
1,207
1,425
968
725
13,862
11,613
2,850
366
604
1,469
574
2,275
648Day
578
39,162
1,746
2,062
1,401
1,048
20,052
16,799
4,122
529
873
2,125
831
3,291
937
836
56,652
4.7%
3.8%
5.7%
3.7%
3.8%
4.8%
5.9%
7.8%
5.5%
4.0%
4.1%
4.6%
2.2%
8.6%
4.3%
Share (Total)
6.8%
5.5%
8.3%
5.3%
5.4%
6.9%
8.5%
11.3%
7.9%
5.8%
5.9%
6.6%
3.2%
12.4%
6.2%
Finger Lakes, Tourism Taxes
Tourism-Generated Taxes, 2009
Millions
$120
$100
Local
$80
$40
35
Yates
Wayne
Tompkins
Tioga
Steuben
Seneca
Schuyler
Ontario
Onondaga
Monroe
Livingston
Cayuga
Day
Cortland
$20
$0
Business
State
$60
Chemung
 Tourism in the Finger Lakes
generated $327 million in
state and local taxes in 2009.
 Sales, property, and hotel
bed taxes generated over
$168 million in local taxes.
 Monroe and Onondaga
counties produce 36% and
30% of the region’s tourism
tax base, respectively.
Finger Lakes, Tourism Taxes
Tourism-Generated
Taxes, 2009
Cayuga
Chemung
Cortland
Livingston
Monroe
Onondaga
Ontario
Schuyler
Seneca
Steuben
Tioga
Tompkins
Wayne
Yates
TOTAL
36
Business
Local Taxes
$5,214,229
$5,431,686
$2,893,304
$2,291,901
$60,138,980
$50,636,443
$10,656,198
$1,852,548
$2,664,818
$7,645,823
$1,946,950
$10,832,858
$1,811,224
Day
$3,521,592
$167,538,553
State Taxes
$5,152,002
$5,340,479
$2,728,056
$2,400,753
$57,697,349
$46,538,744
$10,705,243
$1,715,146
$2,697,953
$7,334,904
$1,962,174
$9,809,583
$2,095,615
$3,471,393
$159,649,392
Total
10,366,231
10,772,165
5,621,360
4,692,654
117,836,329
97,175,186
21,361,440
3,567,694
5,362,771
14,980,728
3,909,124
20,642,441
3,906,839
6,992,985
327,187,945
Region Share
3.2%
3.3%
1.7%
1.4%
36.0%
29.7%
6.5%
1.1%
1.6%
4.6%
1.2%
6.3%
1.2%
2.1%
100.0%
Regional Growth
Local Taxes
Year-Over-Year Comparison
Local Taxes, $
Cayuga
Chemung
Cortland
Livingston
Monroe
Onondaga
Ontario
Schuyler
Seneca
Steuben
Tioga
Tompkins
Wayne
Yates
TOTAL
37
Business
2008
Day
5,713,255
5,805,894
3,062,153
2,457,593
64,595,003
54,433,347
11,395,005
1,761,258
2,858,154
8,325,524
2,077,795
11,925,348
1,974,155
3,802,949
180,187,431
2009
5,214,229
5,431,686
2,893,304
2,291,901
60,138,980
50,636,443
10,656,198
1,852,548
2,664,818
7,645,823
1,946,950
10,832,858
1,811,224
3,521,592
167,538,553
% Change
-9%
-6%
-6%
-7%
-7%
-7%
-6%
5%
-7%
-8%
-6%
-9%
-8%
-7%
-7%
Methods and data sources
•
Employment definitions. The basis of our data and modeling is the Regional Economic
Information System (REIS), Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce.
This is different than the NYS Department of Labor data source (ES202/QCEW). The main
definitional difference is that sole-proprietors, which do not require unemployment insurance
and are not counted in the ES202 data. BEA data shows (for example) state accommodations
employment at 89,124, compared with QCEW at 82,190. For total employment (across all
sectors), the difference is 20%.
•
International methodology. Our approach (through Travel Industry Association calculations) is
based the estimates on direct survey responses to the Department of Commerce in-flight
survey and Statistics Canada data – constrained to BEA international balance of payments
data. The NY data are consistent with TIA’s state-by-state distribution which ensures against
overestimation.
•
Bottom-up vs. top-down. We have based our research on tourism expenditure analysis from
surveys and controls to known industry measurements for key tourism sectors.
38
Methods and data sources
•
Local taxes are a build-up of individual categories (sales, occupancy, property). The model is
not equipped to deal with individual exemptions such as Indian gaming.
•
Second home expenditures are based on the stock of seasonal second home inventory.
Annual average expenditures for housing are pro-rated to the season length to account for
various levels of expenditures not accounted in visitor surveys.
•
Lodging sector. Our models use survey information and constrains this to the value of the
hotel sector in each county. This can vary from certain bed tax estimates of total revenue for
several reasons. One is that the bed tax may only be based on room revenue while total sales
for the industry may include other revenue sources (room service, phone, etc.). Another is
that certain smaller establishments may not fully report or be required to report their
revenue.
39
Methods and data sources
•
Local taxes are a build-up of individual categories (sales, occupancy, property). The model is
The economic activity generated by travel and tourism is complex. It spans various industrial
sectors and represents only a part of most of these sectors. Therefore, the “tourism industry”
is not identified in state or local economic accounts and must be measured separately.
•
Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company, was commissioned to quantify the
economic impact of tourism for the state of New York and each of its counties.


40
The analysis requires an
examination of visitor
spending (the demand side)
and related industry sales,
value added, wages, and
employment (the supply side).
Economic modeling is used to
quantify the linkages between
visitor spending and
industries and among
industries.
Methods and data sources
 Tourism Economics utilized the IMPLAN input-output model for New York State
to track the flow of sales through the economy to the generation of GDP,
employment, wages, and taxes.
 The impacts are measured on three levels:
■ Direct impact: The immediate benefit to persons and companies directly
providing goods or services to travelers.
■ Indirect impact: The secondary benefit to suppliers of goods and services
to the directly-involved companies. For example, a food wholesaler
providing goods to a restaurant. The model is careful to exclude imports
from the impact calculations.
■ Induced impact: The tertiary benefit to the local economy as incomes in
the prior two levels of impact are spent on goods and services. For
example, a restaurant employee spends his wages at a grocery store,
generating addition economic output.
41
About Tourism Economics
42

Tourism Economics, headquartered in Philadelphia, is an Oxford Economics company
dedicated to providing high value, robust, and relevant analyses of the tourism sector that
reflects the dynamics of local and global economies. By combining quantitative methods with
industry knowledge, Tourism Economics designs custom market strategies, project feasibility
analysis, tourism forecasting models, tourism policy analysis, and economic impact studies.

Our staff have worked with over 100 destinations to quantify the economic value of tourism,
forecast demand, guide strategy, or evaluate tourism policies.

Oxford Economics is one of the world’s leading providers of economic analysis, forecasts and
consulting advice. Founded in 1981 as a joint venture with Oxford University’s business
college, Oxford Economics is founded on a reputation for high quality, quantitative analysis
and evidence-based advice. For this, it draws on its own staff of 40 highly-experienced
professional economists; a dedicated data analysis team; global modeling tools; close links
with Oxford University, and a range of partner institutions in Europe, the US and in the United
Nations Project Link.

For more information, please contact us at: info@tourismeconomics.com.