Naturally Lewis wins tourism award for Tug Hill visitor guides

LOWVILLE — Naturally Lewis, Inc. has been awarded a New York State Tourism Industry Association Tourism Excellence Award for the 2024 Discover Tug Hill Visitor Guides. It received the honor at the 2024 New York State Tourism Industry Association Tourism Excellence Summit at the Canfield Casino in Saratoga Springs, according to a Sept. 13 announcement. “We are humbled to accept this award and honored to have our unique, rural community acknowledged at this level,” Kristen Aucter, director of tourism at Naturally Lewis, said in the announcement. “As we work to develop resident-centric tourism and champion the growth of our communities by focusing on our residents, we are excited to see what the future of tourism promotion looks like in Lewis County.” The Discover Tug Hill Visitor Guides — illustrated by RG Design & Illustration of Beaver Falls in Lewis County — are magazines sharing experiences and attractions across Lewis County and the Adirondacks-Tug Hill region. Three editions of the guide were developed to target the primary audiences for tourism promotion: families, weekenders, and adventure seekers. “Over the past three years, Naturally Lewis, Inc. has worked towards becoming an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, serving all of Lewis County, to streamline business support services, economic development, and tourism development and promotion” Brittany Davis, executive director of Naturally Lewis, said in the announcement. “After meeting this goal of restructuring our organization, the honor of this NYSTIA Tourism Excellence Award is proof that our community and organization are on the right track for sustainable growth.” Naturally Lewis is a nonprofit economic-development organization administering services for the County of Lewis Industrial Development Agency, Lewis County Development Corporation, and Lewis County Chamber of Commerce.