Why Walkway over the Hudson attendance soared
ALBANY - Attendance at the Walkway over the Hudson soared in 2016, with a 22 percent boost in visitors last year.
Similarly, attendance at New York parks grew 6 percent last year and has soared 21 percent over the last six years, state records showed.
Walkway attendance rose to 547,722 in 2016, the highest figure since 2013, when nearly 710,000 visited, records from the state Parks Department showed.
Walkway officials attributed it to more promotion and events on the 1.28-mile pedestrian bridge between Poughkeepsie and Highland.
Elizabeth Waldstein-Hart, executive director of Walkway Over the Hudson non-profit group, pointed to ongoing collaboration with state and local organizations, as well as the Greater Walkway Experience marketing and branding initiative.
“It is gratifying to see consistently high visitor numbers at this popular year-round state park," she said in a statement.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has invested heavily in the nation's oldest parks system in both infrastructure improvements and ads. And the records indicated the parks have benefited with records attendance.
Visitors to the state's 180 state parks and 35 historic sites grew to 69.3 million visitors in 2016, a 3.9 million increase from 2015, the state Parks Department's data showed.
NY to put $55M toward welcome centers, tourism
Start-Up NY ads cost taxpayers $53M
New NY highway signs are illegal, feds say
“New York parks are the heart of the tourism economy, and these numbers show that more and more people are discovering their unparalleled natural beauty and recreation opportunities that are available in every corner of the state," Cuomo said in a statement Friday.
Some local parks were the beneficiary of the state's investment, and good weather last summer helped spur the increase, parks officials said.
Some parks saw a drop off: Minnewaska State Park's attendance in Ulster County fell 2 percent, to 361,000.
The overall increase is promising for the state’s local economy and tourism sector, according to Rose Harvey, commissioner of the Office of Recreation and Historic Preservation.
"We’re very pleased to see this growth in the Finger Lakes and pleased the governor is investing in the parks because they are a huge draw for the region," said Cindy Kimble, president of the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance.
The most visited state park in New York is at Niagara Falls, where attendance hit 9.5 million last year, up 2 percent from 2015.
The improvements statewide this year included reopening of the West Bathhouse at Jones Beach on Long Island and launching the Connect Kids to Parks initiative which offers free park entry to fourth graders and extending the swimming season to after Labor Day this past summer.
The state's NY Parks 2020 initiative is investing $900 million in private and public funding from 2011 to 2020.
The proposed state budget for the fiscal year that starts April 1 includes an additional $120 million for park upgrades.
The state also invests heavily in ads through its "I Love NY" program.
The state allocated $50 million a year for the past five years under New York's "Open for Business" marketing campaign, which includes "I Love NY" ads.
The money was bumped up to $55 million last fall and includes some spending to expand its welcome centers.
In June, Cuomo announced plans for two welcome centers, one on each side of the Walkway.
The state also added more than 500 signs along state highways to promote upstate tourism, yet the welcome centers and the signs are part of a dispute with the federal government over their legality.
By the numbers
547,722: Walkway attendance in 2016
22: Percentage increase in Walkway attendance in 2016
6: Percentage increase in state park attendance in 2016