Recreational opportunities are a key draw for tourists to visit an area which brings external money into a region's economy and fuels the development of new industry and attractions. The sense of a region as a tourist destination increases regional pride, while recreational opportunities contribute to the quality of life of residents.

In 2018, over $96 million was spent by tourists on recreation in the region, up slightly from 2017. This equates to $80 per resident, compared to a NYS (excluding NYC) average of $162. Recreation spending at the statewide levels peaked in 2016 and the region peaked in 2007. Since 2005, recreation revenue per resident in the region has declined 1%.

Among local counties, Genesee had the highest recreation revenue per resident, at $229 followed by Wyoming with $202 which makes both above the state (excluding NYC) average. The next highest county was Orleans, at $134. The counties with the least recreation revenue were Wayne and Livingston, at $23 and $24 respectively per resident. Some counties in the region followed the same general pattern, with revenues peaking from 2006 to 2008 and falling sharply in the following years except for Livingston, Seneca, Wyoming and Yates who peaked in 2018. Some counties experienced more of a decrease than others, however, with Wayne falling 29% from 2005.

The figures are presented per county resident to allow comparisons among counties of different sizes, but the spending is by tourists. New York State data excludes the heavy concentration of tourism in New York City. This data comes from Empire State Development, which contracts each year with Tourism Economics for a study on New York State tourism. Wineries and other tourism attractions related to agriculture are not included as tourism in this data, which impacts many of the surrounding counties. Data for this indicator are expected to be released in the third quarter.