Monday, October 5, 2009

TOURISM WEBSITE LAUNCHED..
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ULSTER COUNTY TOURISM MARKETING COMES ALIVE

Kingston, NY (October 5, 2009) - Ulster County brings tourism to life with a new brand, new marketing strategy and new interactive website
(www.UlsterCountyAlive.com). When you have a county as diverse as Ulster County, where tourism generates as much as $471 million dollars
to the local economy and 8,000 jobs, branding is crucial.

“The new Ulster County Alive brand is meant to convey that no matter what a potential visitor’s interests are, Ulster County is vibrant and alive
with possibilities,” said Ulster County Executive Mike Hein. “Nowhere else in the world can a visitor find the unique combination of history, culture,
world-class dining and spas and magnificent natural resources that Ulster County has to offer. We’re just 90 miles from midtown Manhattan.
It’s a story that needed to be told more effectively and I’m confident that our new campaign will drive home the message.”

From boating around lighthouses on the Hudson River, to hiking the Catskill mountains, to rock climbing the Shawangunk Mountains, to cross-country
skiing, to wineries, to apple-picking to strolling Main Street Ulster County has many assets. Capturing all of these assets in a single brand identity presents
a challenge- a challenge which Ulster County decided it needed to obtain professional assistance. Accordingly, in the fall of 2008, working with industry
representatives, the county selected a local firm, MarketingWorks. MarketingWorks and Ulster County Tourism solicited feedback from various industry
groups throughout the creation of the marketing strategy.

The result is the creation of a brand ULSTERCOUNTYALIVE.COM that captures the spirit of Ulster County as well as the way travel and tourism is
affected by changes in technology. Ulster County’s former marketing efforts were largely focused on print media. As anyone who travels substantially
today can tell you, travel now starts with the internet. Ulster County has revamped its tourism website so that it is a dynamic, ever- changing, attractive site:
one that visitors want to visit and one that will drive potential visitors directly to the tourism accommodations, recreational opportunities and other amenities
throughout the county. “Even if they are familiar with a place or accommodation, they are using the web to book their travel,” said Jackie Appeldorn, General
Manager of Mohonk Mountain House. “More importantly most new visitors are looking for destinations on the Internet. By fully embracing web-based
marketing in conjunction with a sophisticated and exciting ad campaign, Ulster County Tourism is positioning the county for tourism success.”

“Ulster County is taking a unique approach to marketing, one with which its individual lodging destinations have had success; that is marketing to New York
City.In conjunction with the rebranding of Ulster County Tourism, and the creation of a new web-based approach to marketing, Ulster County has launched
an advertising campaign on the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s shuttle train between Times Square and Grand Central Station, a route that draws 8 million
visitors a year,” said Ulster County Tourism Director Rick Remsnyder.

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