Catskills Tourism Booms as Travelers Choose Domestic Getaways Over European Vacations

A few hours north of New York City, along the Hudson River, the Catskills offer an idyllic mix of charming towns, rolling farmland and hundreds of miles of hiking trails.

The mountain region has become a thriving rural escape for New Yorkers, attracting everyone from weekend travelers to couples searching for a farmstead wedding venue.

Over the past decade, with interest accelerating after the COVID-19 pandemic, the Catskills have experienced a renaissance. Visitors and new residents alike are bringing fresh energy to the region’s towns and villages.

That momentum extends beyond short-term tourism, with growing numbers of people looking to establish a second home in the area.

Joseph Satto, broker and principal of Fresh Air Team at Compass, a firm specializing in luxury Catskills properties, said his business has recorded a “significant uptick” in buyers seeking second homes or weekend retreats.

“We still have a slight supply shortage,” Satto told Our News Outlet. “And it just seems like there’s always more demand than there is supply, even in a high interest rate environment.”

Most of Satto’s clients are city residents. New Yorkers make up the largest share, followed by buyers from New Jersey and Long Island.

The hospitality sector has expanded alongside that demand. Foster Supply Company, which opened its first hotel, The Arnold House, in 2014, now operates four properties across the Catskills.

Our News Outlet stayed at Foster Supply Company’s DeBruce hotel in Livingston Manor, New York, a luxury property with room rates starting at $449 per night.

The DeBruce is one of several upscale hotels that have opened in the area over the past decade as visitor numbers have grown – a trend that has accelerated as Americans increasingly look for getaways that offer the escape of an international vacation without the airfare, airport delays and exhausting itineraries. 

But travel planner Andrés Serra, head of operations at Optimise Travel, said he would not describe the trend as Americans abandoning international travel altogether.

‘I don’t think Americans are giving up on international travel,’ Serra told Our News Outlet. ‘Instead, I notice that people save long-haul flights for trips that feel worth the cost and effort and pick domestic spots for shorter getaways.’

Cost is also playing a role. According to Deloitte’s 2026 summer travel survey, just 45 percent of Americans planned a summer vacation with paid accommodation, the lowest level in six years.

Among those staying home, 35 percent said they could not afford a trip, while 32 percent said travel was too expensive. Those who were traveling expected to spend 17 percent more on their longest summer trip than they did in 2025.

For New Yorkers, Serra said, the Catskills can offer something that is difficult to replicate on a short international trip – ample vacation time without flights cutting in.

‘If you live in New York City and want to get away for three or four nights, the Catskills let you spend more of your time actually on vacation,’ he said. ‘Many areas are just a two to three-hour drive away.’

A short trip to Europe, by comparison, can involve an overnight flight, arriving at the airport hours early to get through check-in and customs and dealing with transfers at both ends.

‘All of that can eat up most of your first and last days,’ Serra said.

Driving also gives travelers more control over what they pack and when they leave – while allowing them to bring pets and avoid some of the costs associated with flying.

‘One car can replace two return plane tickets, checked bag fees, airport transfers, and some local transport,’ Serra said.

The shift comes as lodging continues to outperform, with short-term rental demand rising 2 percent and hotel RevPAR climbing 8.2 percent nationally, according to July 2026 data from the US Travel Association’s Travel Insights Dashboard.

For New Yorkers, that can mean swapping a European getaway for a three-hour drive to the mountains.

Kirsten Harlow Foster founded Foster Supply Company with her husband and partner, Sims Foster. She told Our News Outlet they are seeing more and more guests turn their Catskills trips into extended vacations rather than just a quick weekend escape.

‘You’re not getting on a plane, you’re not dealing with all sorts of logistical chaos,’ Harlow Foster told Our News Outlet. ‘You’re just getting in your car and throwing your hiking boots in the back.’ 

The company’s guest data shows that visitors are becoming increasingly loyal to the region.

Some 3,856 of their guests have returned after visiting one Foster Supply property, while the company’s most frequent guest has made 49 visits totaling 79 room nights.

More recently, Foster Supply has noticed guests staying at two of its properties on a single trip – turning a weekend getaway into a more deliberate regional tour.

Serra said the Catskills’ variety makes it particularly well suited to longer stays.

‘The Catskills are great for planning because you can stay in one place and still enjoy different kinds of trips,’ he said. ‘I can organize hiking, restaurant visits, and time in different small towns without needing to switch hotels.’

‘This way, a four-night stay feels varied, but you don’t have to schedule every day full of activities.’

And not all visitors are capitalizing on their PTO. In fact, these longer stays are also being helped by the flexibility of remote work.

Catapulted to popularity during the height of the pandemic, Serra said remote work can allow visitors to add nights to a trip without using additional vacation days. 

Deloitte’s survey even found that 34 percent of surveyed travelers planned to work during their longest summer trip in 2026, up from 23 percent in 2025.

‘Someone might arrive on Thursday evening, work from the accommodation on Friday, take the weekend off, work on Monday, and return that evening,’ he said. ‘That turns a two-night weekend into a four-night stay.’

Staying longer can also have a bigger economic impact on the communities visitors are exploring.

‘Someone staying two nights might just pay for a place to stay and one dinner out,’ Serra said. ‘But if they stay four or five nights, they’re more likely to buy groceries, try different cafes, book a guide, and spend money in more than one town.’

That longer-stay model is particularly significant in a region where tourism has become a major economic engine. In 2025, visitors spent about $2.77 billion in the Catskills, more than they did the year before, according to the latest New York tourism report.

Ulster County saw about $1.24 billion in visitor spending, while Sullivan County received around $1.03 billion.

Tourism supported 18,848 jobs in the region, making up 15.7 percent of all local employment.

Serra cautioned that the figures do not prove remote workers or New York City residents alone caused the region’s growth. 

‘They just show how large and active the Catskills visitor economy is, even though people travel for many different reasons,’ he said.

Foster Supply is one of many boutique stays in the area that have capitalized on this interest, putting their own spin on the Catskills by investing heavily in culinary, design and wellness offerings, from restaurants sourcing produce from nearby farmers to spas at two of its properties. 

At The DeBruce, the restaurant offers a seasonal tasting menu that changes throughout the year, using ingredients tied to the surrounding region.

‘You don’t have to fly to Paris to get a great meal,’ Harlow Foster said.

Harlow Foster told us the company is not trying to compete with the Ritz, but wants to offer guests beautiful properties, thoughtful design, good food and amenities in an environment where they can actually slow down.

‘Less is more, as long as that less is executed perfectly,’ she said.

That idea is playing out beyond Foster Supply’s properties, too.

Livingston Manor’s Main Street has a nice mix of longtime local businesses and newer restaurants, shops and galleries that have arrived alongside the influx of New Yorkers. 

There is Johnny’s barbershop and Viv’s salon alongside Main Street Farm, a small bookstore and CAST, an arts organization that offers free exhibitions and art classes.

Harlow Foster said the result is a town that feels like a community rather than a tourist development dropped into the mountains.

‘It’s a nice combination,’ she said. ‘It doesn’t feel like it’s been cut and placed here.’

The same pattern can be seen in nearby hamlets including Jeffersonville, Callicoon, Narrowsburg and Roscoe, where new residents and businesses have arrived alongside long-established local institutions.

That growing appetite for the Catskills has also continued to push up property prices.

Satto said prices have continued to rise since the pandemic boom, driven largely by a mismatch between demand and supply.

‘Even though prices spiked, you’re still seeing prices go up,’ he said. ‘It’s just a function of supply and demand.’

For appropriately priced properties, he said, the region remains ‘very much’ a seller’s market – although sellers who overestimate what buyers are willing to pay can struggle to move their homes.

The bigger shift, Satto said, is in the type of buyer willing to spend millions on a Catskills retreat. Before COVID, $1 million was considered a high budget in the area, he said. Now, properties are increasingly trading for $2 million, $3 million, $4 million and even $5 million.

‘We’re seeing more of those numbers be achieved,’ Satto said, as buyers with greater resources compare what they can get in the Catskills with other high-end weekend destinations.

That surge in second-home buying was one part of a much broader transformation accelerated by the pandemic.

People who had once visited only for weekends began buying homes, in some cases without ever seeing them in person. Some eventually stayed, sending their children to local schools and becoming involved in the community.

For the hotels, COVID initially presented an obvious threat. But their rural locations and outdoor-focused layouts ultimately became an advantage as travelers looked for ways to get away without being surrounded by crowds.

Today, Harlow Foster said many guests are still discovering that they can get much more out of a trip when they don’t have to spend hours getting there.

And the region’s proximity may be its biggest selling point.

Most Foster Supply guests come from New York City, particularly Brooklyn, yet Harlow Foster said she is still surprised by how many first-time visitors tell her they had no idea the Catskills were so close – or offered so much.

‘With 48 hours, you can really reset,’ she said – not that there’s anything wrong with a whirlwind trip to Paris, but she detects a growing appetite among her guests for vacations built around doing less.

‘You don’t need a hundred things to do,’ she said. ‘You just need a few good ones.’

Serra said that ultimately, travelers should compare not just the price of a trip, but how much of their time they actually get to enjoy.

‘Being closer doesn’t always mean the trip is cheaper,’ he said. ‘A popular cabin, rental car, meals, and activity fees can sometimes cost more than an international package.’

‘I always compare the total cost with how many vacation hours you actually get.’

The Catskills, he said, are the better choice when they offer more time away, less hassle with transportation and a trip that fits into a few days without feeling rushed.