NEW CITY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - Rockland County has gone from having flat numbers when it comes to traveler spending to a jump in the past two years, WCBS 880′s Monica Miller reported.

WCBS 880′s Monica Miller On The Story

Travel spending in the county went up 15 percent, according to a new study by Oxford Economics called “The Economic Impact of Tourism in New York.”

According to the study, Rockland now accounts for 12 percent of overall traveler spending in the Hudson Valley, which it said is a $3 billion industry for the six-county region.

C.J. Miller, Rockland County’s coordinator for tourism and development, said the county has a lot to offer, especially to Manhattanites looking to get out of the city for a day.

“We’re boosting our businesses here, our restaurants, our hotels where people book overnight stays,” she told WCBS 880′s Monica Miller.

C.J. Miller said the cash-strapped county is enjoying the recent numbers, especially after having eliminated the tourism department two years ago.

“It really can be brought down to one thing. It’s marketing and promotion, which we’ve stepped up our efforts in the last two years,” she said.

Visitors to the state as a whole spent almost $54 billion in 2011, WCBS 880′s Monica Miller reported.

Have you been to Rockland County lately? Where did you go? Share your story in the comments section below.