BETHEL ­— Governor Andrew M. Cuomo came to Bethel Woods Center for the Arts last Thursday where he highlighted the recent successes in Sullivan County and the Catskills.

“The Catskills have a very important role in the history of the state of New York,” said Cuomo. He describes how the Catskills used to be “the entertainment vacation center for, certainly, downstate New York region for decades,” and how the hotels and resorts drew attention from New York City residents.

“The number of new attractions in the Catskills, new assets in the Catskills is really mind boggling,” stated Cuomo. He mentioned the Kartrite Resort & Indoor Waterpark, Resorts World Catskills and Yo1 Wellness Resort and Spa as examples that support his statement of how the area has gained new assets. Cuomo also listed the Legoland that is to be built in Orange County, and how “That's going to be a phenomenal national attraction to bring people here,” Cuomo said.

The governor also mentioned how transportation has been improved to make the Catskills more accessible. Cuomo said how investments have been made in the Stewart International Airport to make it easier for travel to the area, and how Route 17 has been making progress on expanding in order to accommodate the expected amount of travelers throughout the counties.

In Cuomo's speech, he announced the newest attraction for this summer: a hiking program that is meant to draw people in from different areas. The program will have 20 trails in which visitors can hike, and the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Parks will work together in order to maintain this program. Of those trails, 15 will be beginner to intermediate trails to accommodate families, and there will be five that are more difficult to hike for those who are more experienced.

Cuomo then describes the “Fire Tower Five Challenge,” where experienced hikers can walk the trails to find the five fire towers that are at the end of each route. There is the Red Hill Fire Tower, a three-hour hike; Mountain fire tower, a five mile hike; Temper Mountain, a four hour hike; Balsam Lake Mountain fire tower, four and a half hour hike; and the Hunter Mountain fire tower which is five miles. The challenge began July 11 and will run through December 31, 2019. The first 500 people who complete the challenge will receive an annual pass to any state park, and a license plate that reads “I completed the Fire Tower Five Challenge.”

“All of this is to generate economic activity,” Cuomo said. “We want to get the Catskills at the top of that list of places you have to visit to really understand the beauty of the state of New York,” Cuomo added.

In addition to addressing the tourism in Sullivan County and the Catskills, the governor recognized Alan, Sandra, and Adam Gerry by giving them a proclamation that acknowledged the milestone that Woodstock has reached.