President and CEO of The Sullivan Catskills Visitors Association (SCVA) reported that this summer, short term rentals in the Sullivan Catskills were busier and earning more per night than last year. 

According to data collected by the SCVA from Airbnb and VRBO, revenue per available rental (RevPAR), a measure of occupancy and rate, was up in June, July, and August by twenty percent from last year. In September, RevPAR was up by around thirty-five percent from last year.

Spending in the area also saw an increase this summer. According to SCVA’s data, visitors spent more than sixty million dollars via credit cards at grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations over the summer.

Martelon thinks that SCVA’s revised website and relaunched branch may have contributed to the increase in tourism to the area. The SCVA’s website is home to multiple short documentaries, which tell the stories of people and places in the Sullivan Catskills. 

Regarding its new marketing materials, Martelon says, “consumers want authenticity… They want to know this is who these people are and this is what this place looks like. So that’s what we’re creating.”

Martelon says that four out of every five visitors to the Sullivan Catskills are return visitors, so the association’s goal is to attract more first time visitors.

Another of the SCVA’s primary goals is to raise tourism rates during the low season, which begins around October. Martelon predicts that this fall, like summer, will see an increase in tourism and tax revenue.