Ulster County’s tourism industry is flourishing, with more than three million people per year visiting for short day trips and longer stays. The many outdoor activities, dining establishments, arts events, award-winning lodging, historical museums and sites, and much more make Ulster a tourist destination with something for everyone to enjoy.

Tourism spending was more than $474 million in 2012, a 4.9 percent increase over 2011. That follows a 5.3 percent increase over 2010 and a 2.6 percent increase over 2009. Occupancy tax revenue increased 5.65 percent in 2103, to $1.177 million, the highest collection of revenue since 2005. 

Overall, tourism spending has grown by 12.9 percent since 2009, according to the Tourism Economics report, an Oxford Economics company commissioned by the Empire State Development Corp. and the I Love NY campaign to track tourism spending and employment data.

The County’s tourism revenue in 2012 topped the rest of the mid-Hudson Valley, including Dutchess, Orange, Rockland, Sullivan, Greene, Columbia, Delaware and Putnam counties. As part of the Catskill Mountain region, Ulster accounts for 45 percent of the region’s tourism sales.