The awards recognize outstanding initiatives and achievements of New York state’s destination marketing organizations, attractions, and other tourism-related businesses. Categories included marketing campaigns, destination management initiatives, location stewardship, innovation and leadership.

Open to all tourism professionals and organizations throughout the state, the New York State Tourism Excellence Awards are determined through a competitive evaluation process led by a panel of impartial industry experts. The 2025 awards cycle saw continued growth in the number of nominations submitted. With entries representing every region of New York state, judges faced the challenging task of evaluating a diverse slate of highly qualified submissions.

The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism received two awards reflecting “Excellence in Sustainable Tourism: Champions of Change,” and “Excellence in Tourism Marketing Campaigns, Projects and Programs: Creative Use of Data to Drive Success.”

ROOST received the “Excellence in Sustainable Tourism: Champions of Change” award in response to its leadership in preparing for the 2024 solar eclipse. ROOST’s leadership ahead of, and during, this event showcased its innovation, sense of responsibility, and desired impact. The carefully executed campaign successfully balanced visitor experience with resident well-being and environmental stewardship.

ROOST recognized early on that the eclipse was not only a rare celestial event, but also a significant tourism opportunity and potential logistical challenge for the Adirondack region, as many of its small communities lay directly in the path of totality. ROOST orchestrated a year-long, comprehensive initiative to leverage the 2024 total solar eclipse as a signature tourism opportunity. Through collaboration with tourism stakeholders, emergency services, local governments, law enforcement, media, area school districts, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, the Adirondack Sky Center and Observatory, and community volunteers, ROOST identified and promoted specific viewing locations that prioritized safety while discouraging potentially dangerous backcountry viewing.

According to ROOST COO Mary Jane Lawrence, the event serves as a model for transforming a natural event into a meaningful and well-managed tourism success.

ROOST also received the “Excellence in Tourism Marketing Campaigns, Projects and Programs: Creative Use of Data to Drive Success” award for its use of Data Driven Large Scale Event Management which leverages comprehensive analytics to enhance large-scale event planning, execution, and sustainability. ROOST’s ability to balance tourism growth with community well-being reflects its destination management role.

ROOST collects and analyzes real-time data during events to help event planners optimize attendee experiences while identifying and addressing community pressure points to minimize disruption. Its innovative program creates a model that balances tourism growth with community well-being, delivering both immediate event success and lasting regional tourism benefits.

By creatively leveraging data during large events, the program enhances planning, resulting in smoother logistics, stronger community engagement, and measurable economic impact. Successful events often lead to visitors sharing their positive experiences with others and returning as leisure travelers, further amplifying the long-term benefits for the region.

The New York State Tourism Excellence Awards are open to all New York State tourism marketers and are juried by an impartial panel of industry experts under the auspices of the New York State Tourism Industry Association. Nominees spanned every corner of New York State and judges were challenged by the diversity and quality of the entries.