Cuomo launches tourism-advertising campaign for the North Country and Adirondacks

 Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday launched a new tourism-advertising campaign targeting the North Country and Adirondacks.

The effort is designed to drive tourism as the Adirondacks recover from the effects of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee two years ago, according to the governor’s office.

The Adirondacks and North Country feature more than 2,000 miles of hiking trails and 3,000 lakes and ponds, Cuomo said in a news release.

“If people see it, they will come, and that’s what this new campaign is all about,” Cuomo said.

An estimated 75 million people live within a six hour drive of the Adirondacks, according to the governor’s office.

Cuomo has made growing the “job-creating, revenue-producing” tourism industry “a top priority,” his office said.

In May, Cuomo announced the launch of New York’s largest tourism campaign in decades, committing nearly $60 million to grow New York industries, create jobs, and attract more visitors to the state.

The announcement followed the New York State Tourism Summit held May 8.

As the fifth largest employment sector in New York, tourism supported 714,000 jobs and generated more than $29 billion in wages in 2012, the governor’s office said in the May 8 news release.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com