Travel to Wellness, a site catering specifically to wellness-minded travelers, is always looking for tips to include on the site’s homepage. We think this would be a great way to highlight the area's many wellness aspects in relation to the spas, health tied to wine and farm-to-table dining, exercise in the great outdoors, etc.

We would love to receive 5-10 tips from local businesses or attractions in Tioga County relating to wellness. This could be from chefs at local restaurants, spa directors, yoga instructors, etc. When sending tips please provide:

• Name and title of person or property the tip is credited to
• Link to website if available

Friday February 24th is the last day to get your Early Bird Registration Discount for the Empire State Tourism Conference, March 6-8, 2012, at the Albany Marriott. The rate goes up $25 for registrations coming in after February 24th, so don’t delay on go online to register right now at http://www.nystva.org/empire-state-tourism-conference.

You don’t have to provide a credit card number if you’re registering online, you can also indicate that you’re paying by check, but the payment must be received prior to the conference start date.

NEWS EXTRA:  Anyone who is a part of the New York State tourism industry should plan to attend not only for all the great sessions and networking, but especially for the closing general session, featuring a powerhouse panel of “I Love New York” team members representing a variety of tourism promotion interests, including consumer, international, motor coach, social media and policy. This is a “Do Not Miss” session, and we urge you to attend the conference and let your partners know they should come, too. Here are the details:

Session title: Tourism: Back in the Spotlight

Team members from the New York State Department of Economic Development, Division of Tourism, will present marketing plans and new initiatives for 2012. These plans and initiatives include advertising, public relations, social media, partnerships, international marketing, research and website to support the New York State tourism industry.

On hand presenting during general session:

• Harvey Cohen, VP Marketing
• Edward Maitino, Director, NYS Division of Tourism
• Sheri VanCour, Tourism Development Specialist, Web Management
• Rick Machung, Assistant Director, Media
• Kelly Rabideau, Director, NYS Division of Tourism Social Media
• Markly Wilson, Tourism Trade Specialist for International Division
• Eric Scheffel, Public Information Specialist
• Bob Miron, Policy Analyst
• Khorshid Rahmaninejad, Marketing Specialist, ESDC 
• Linda Ayares, Public Relations, M Silver  Associates

So, put the Empire State Tourism Conference on your calendar, register to attend ASAP, and plan to have an engaging and informative experience. http://www.nystva.org/empire-state-tourism-conference.