Australian travellers are being encouraged to look beyond New York City through a new campaign exploring regional New York State.
Photographer and filmmaker Matt Lambley is travelling through the Hudson Valley, Catskills, Adirondacks and Finger Lakes.
The collaboration between BYRDLI and I LOVE NY will see Mr Lambley document the journey while developing a collection of bookable travel experiences for his existing Travel Club.
Travelling during the state’s autumn season, Mr Lambley will explore regional accommodation, food, wine, road trips, natural landscapes and local communities, with the itinerary designed to show the contrasts between New York State’s different regions.
“The deeper I got into planning this trip, the more I kept thinking, ‘how did I not know this was New York’?” Mr Lambley said. “The scale is what surprised me most – the mountains, the lakes, the history, these incredible towns and hotels – and how different one region can feel from the next.”
Ross Levi, Executive Director and Vice President of the New York State Division of Tourism – I LOVE NY, said the campaign aimed to introduce Australian travellers to the variety found across the state’s 11 holiday regions.
“New York State rewards curiosity. The more you explore, the more distinct each of our 11 unique vacation regions becomes, in their landscapes, communities, history, food and culture,” Mr Levi said.
The project will also extend beyond the initial journey, with Mr Lambley using his first hand experiences to build itineraries and travel products for his audience.
Qantas has joined as airline partner and will feature as the carrier across the resulting New York Travel Club packages.
The wider campaign will also explore New York State across winter, spring and summer, positioning regional travel as a complement to a traditional New York City visit.
“New York State is one of those places where the more you understand it, the bigger it becomes,” said Vanessa Richards, BYRDLI Co-Founder and CEO.
“We wanted Matt to experience it properly. Drive the roads. Find the hotels. Eat somewhere because someone local told him to. Stay longer somewhere because it surprised him. That is where the real story is.”
