New York State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) applauded Governor Cuomo’s recent $50 million commitment to promote state-wide tourism. The Governor unveiled the funding during the New York State Tourism Summit in Albany this week, where local and international tourism leaders met with State officials to explore new industry opportunities.

Since 2011, New York State’s tourism industry has seen significant growth. Just last year, New York’s tourism industry generated direct spending of $62.5 billion, producing $7.8 billion in state and local taxes. The number of visitors to New York increased by 8.2 million with nearly 227 million visitors in 2014. As New York’s fourth largest employment sector, one out of every 12 jobs in New York is tourism-related. Data from 2014 show the tourism industry supported 867,900 jobs and generated more than $31 billion in wages.

Assemblyman Thiele noted, “On the East End, where tourism is a major component of our economic prosperity, investing in tourism means investing in our local communities, businesses and families.”