Finger Lakes Regional Tourism Council names Burns new executive director

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Finger Lakes Regional Tourism Council (FLRTC) announced it has appointed Lisa Burns as its new executive director.

FLRTC is comprised of the 14 official county tourism promotion agencies of the Finger Lakes Vacation Region whose mission is to maximize the economic impact of tourism in the region.

Burns most recently worked in a marketing and public relations role for New York State Parks Genesee Region and Letchworth State Park, according to an FLRTC news release. There, she led various marketing and PR initiatives including the development of the first official Letchworth State Park Map and Guide.

Burns also previously was VP and tourism director for the Livingston County Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Agency. Her other previous jobs included executive director of the Finger Lakes Opera, VP of a motor coach and group tour company, and as a national and international travel tour director and guide, according to the release.

The FLRTC executive director will facilitate organizational priorities and implement strategies as outlined in the 2016 FLRTC Destination Market Analysis and Strategic Marketing Plan, the council said. The plan was funded by a grant awarded to the FLRTC by Empire State Development and the New York State Division of Tourism, under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Regional Economic Development Council initiative.

“I LOVE NEW YORK congratulates Lisa Burns on her new position as Finger Lakes Regional Tourism Council Executive Director and we look forward to working with her on regional and statewide initiatives promoting New York State as a world-class destination,” Ross Levi, executive director of the New York State Division of Tourism, said in the release.

FLRTC (FingerLakesTravelNY.com) says it plans to focus its 2018 efforts on initiatives identified and supported by the marketing plan. Top priorities for the organization will include the continuation of a 10-year collaborative, regional public-relations program, and the development of a new, “content rich” destination website — for which the region was recently awarded a New York State grant to pursue. In the future, the organization plans to increase its joint marketing efforts, grow its digital and social media channels, and increase advocacy among key officials and stakeholders to further support a region-wide tourism message, per the release.

Burns is a graduate of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Fugazy International Travel, and holds a certified travel industry specialist designation offered in cooperation with the American Bus Association and Purdue University/Indiana University at Purdue.

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Photo credit: FLRTC