Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance

What Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance does

Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance (FLTA) is a nonprofit destination marketing organization headquartered in Penn Yan, New York, operating for over 100 years (founded around 1919) to promote the 11-lake Finger Lakes region of upstate New York across 16 counties. It functions as a regional marketing cooperative, aggregating demand-generation activities on behalf of more than 540 tourism and hospitality member businesses, including accommodations, restaurants, attractions, wineries, breweries, cideries, and distilleries. End consumers of its outputs are individual travelers planning vacations, weekend escapes, or business trips to the region, sourced predominantly from the Northeastern US and Southeastern Canada.

FLTA's product portfolio centers on the "Explore Finger Lakes" brand and spans both print and digital channels. Core products include the annual Explore Finger Lakes Travel Guide (100,000 copies circulated to the US and Canada; the 2026 edition is the 75th Anniversary Edition), the Explore Finger Lakes Map & Mini-Guide (50,000 copies), the explorefingerlakes.com website, an online partner directory, an events calendar, an editorial blog, and email marketing campaigns to 70,000+ opt-in contacts. Underlying technology is a standard digital marketing platform built on common web infrastructure integrated with Google Analytics, Google AdWords/DoubleClick (for remarketing and demographic targeting), AddThis (social sharing), and Mollom/reCAPTCHA (form security); no proprietary AI or machine-learning components are disclosed.

The business model is a mix of recurring partner membership dues (subscription/recurring) and advertising/sponsorship revenue (digital banner ads, featured listings, print placement). FLTA positions itself as offering measurable economic impact — citing that every dollar spent to support tourism returns approximately $7 to the regional economy. Distribution is multi-channel and self-service for travelers, while partner sales are managed through a small staff (1–10 employees) under President & CEO Meghan Nulty (since March 2023). The organization holds an official trademark licensing partnership with the New York State Department of Economic Development to use the I LOVE NY mark, enabling statewide co-branding.

Name

Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance

Legal name

Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance

Website

https://fingerlakes.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance is a nonprofit destination marketing organization headquartered in Penn Yan, New York, that promotes the 11-lake Finger Lakes region on behalf of 540+ tourism and hospitality member businesses through print guides, a website, email, and social channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Penn Yan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Partner Membership Fees: Over 540 tourism-reliant and hospitality-based businesses pay membership fees to partner with the organization, gaining visibility and inclusion in marketing materials.
2. Advertising and Sponsorship: Tourism and hospitality businesses advertise in print publications (100,000 travel guides, 50,000 maps distributed), on the website (banner ads, featured listings), and through email marketing to the organization's contact list.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance is a nonprofit destination marketing organization (DMO) that promotes the Finger Lakes region of New York State. It markets the destination through print publications such as the Explore Finger Lakes magazine and Finger Lakes Visitors Guide, a consumer-facing website, email and social media channels, and cooperative advertising programs. Its core deliverable is regional tourism promotion executed on behalf of its 540+ partner businesses (wineries, hotels, restaurants, attractions, B&Bs, and other hospitality operators).

Product overview

Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance operates as a destination marketing organization offering an integrated portfolio of print and digital marketing services. The core offerings include the Explore Finger Lakes branded publications (Travel Guide with 100,000 annual print copies and Map & Mini-Guide with 50,000 copies), the ExploreFingerLakes.com digital platform featuring partner listings and travel planning tools, digital advertising services (banner ads, featured content), email marketing to 70,000+ opt-in contacts, and an online Partner Directory with over 540 member businesses. The organization also maintains a content blog and events calendar to promote regional attractions, wineries, dining, and activities year-round.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Explore Finger Lakes: The primary branded campaign identity used for travel guides, publications, and marketing materials promoting the Finger Lakes region.

Products and services

• Explore Finger Lakes Magazine
• Finger Lakes Visitors Guide
• ExploreFingerLakes.com Digital Platform
• Partner Directory Listings
• Cooperative Advertising Program
• Membership Program

Quantifiable outcome

• $7 return on every tourism dollar spent in the region

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• 540+ Regional Partner BusinessescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMembership-based organization with over 540 tourism-reliant and hospitality-based businesses including accommodations, restaurants, attractions, wineries, breweries, cideries, distilleries, and community services. Partners receive marketing exposure through print (170,000+ appearances annually), website presence, social media, and email campaigns reaching 2M+ people annually.
• I LOVE NEW YORKflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial licensing partnership with the New York State Department of Economic Development for use of the I LOVE NY trademark in promoting Finger Lakes tourism. The I LOVE NEW YORK brand provides statewide marketing support and brand recognition for regional tourism promotion.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tourfingerlakes
• Facebookfacebook.com/FingerLakesTourismAlliance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/finger-lakes-tourism-alliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance