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It's weird, but this is why you should think of New York State as Italy

Italian diaspora (2.7 million) and in turn, some pretty good Italian food – that's about the extent of the similarities between New York State and Italy.

Italian diaspora (2.7 million) and in turn, some pretty good Italian food – that’s about the extent of the similarities between New York State and Italy.

But, when you think of the American State, I Love NY’s Executive Director, Gavin Landry, wants you to think of it as Italy.

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Sounds weird, but hear him out.

Speaking at an East Coast USA luncheon in Sydney this week, Landry said currently when most people think of New York State they don’t think beyond the city.

True?

However, when you look at a map of the state, the Big Apple is a tiny (albeit highly influential) spec.

While Landry says New York State is blessed to have New York City, “the greatest city in the world”, as part of its destination portfolio, it also presents a dilemma in encouraging people to travel beyond its high rise buildings.

“We’re trying to encourage people to think of New York State as they currently think of Italy. You don’t just think of Rome do you. So that’s the idea behind the work we do.”

Gavin Landry, I Love NY Executive Director

He said he sees tremendous opportunity to encourage the 700,000 Aussies that travelled to New York last year to add extensions to their trips or build New York State itineraries on their way to other East Coast destinations such as DC, Boston or Philadelphia

“There’s tremendous opportunity to share information about those underexposed or underknown destinations,” he explained.

Like for example:

 

Hudson Valley

Pangea, a pop up restaurant at

It’s an hour and a half by rail outside the city, was named wine region of the year and according to Landry, is “literally the wine country of the East” with 180 million bottles of wine made there.

 

Long Island

Image: Oheka.com

Image: Oheka.com

It doesn’t just have those Great Gatsby mansions, it’s also home to Oheka Castle – an actual castle – where you can stay overnight.

 

The Catskills Mountains

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Is ideal for active and passive adventurers as it’s the home of American fly fishing, has around 50 public and private campgrounds, private reserves for hunting as well as zipline adventures, mountain bike riding and scenic train rides.

 

Capital Saratoga

Saratoga

Saratoga is a resort area that has the best horse racing in America. The Saratoga Race Course is the oldest continually operating sporting venue in the US and was listed as the Top 10 Sporting Venues of the 20th Century in Sports Illustrated.

 

The Adirondacks

Hiking man on mountain

Did you know you can fit the Grand Canyon in the Adirondacks four times? It’s made up of six million acres, has 46 peaks, over 3,000 lakes and thousands of miles of hiking trails.

 

Niagara Falls

NiagaraFalls

It’s not just where Jim and Pam tied the knot in The Office, it’s also a wonder of the world where travellers can see millions of gallons of water rush over 180-foot cliffs every few seconds. It’s home to 20 percent of the world’s freshwater AND it was home to the inventor of JELL-O.

Have you travelled beyond New York City?