NEWS RELEASES
Gov. Cuomo Announces Historic Highs In Visitation To NY State Parks
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through Governor Andrew Cuomo's website.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that visitation to NY’s state park system was up four percent in 2018, with an increase of 2.5 million visitors over the previous year. A record-breaking 74.1 million visited the state's system of more than 200 parks, historic sites and campgrounds. Overall state park visits are up 28 percent since Cuomo took office, thanks to his NY Parks 2020 plan, which focuses on outdoor recreation by revamping the New York State Parks system.
Major improvements last year at Jones State Park on Long Island, Watkins Glen State Park in the Finger Lakes region and Green Lakes State Park in central New York, boosted visitation. In 2019, planned improvements include the Walkway Over the Hudson, the completion of Shirley Chisholm State Park in Brooklyn, and a trail along the Niagara Gorge, as well as the opening of Frontier Town in the Adirondacks. The new Empire Pass Card, which families can share, created record annual sales at the parks, with 102,000 sold in 2018, a 31 percent increase from 2017.
"State Parks are at the heart of New York's tourism economy, attracting visitors from all over the world to discover the history and explore the beauty of our great state," Governor Cuomo said in a press release."Through the Parks 2020 initiative and other major investments to preserve and modernize our parks, campgrounds, and historic sites, we continue to re-energize local economies and encourage families to experience the unparalleled recreation opportunities that are available in New York."
A complete list of the planned Parks 2020 initiative is available on the NY government website.
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