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Entries Tagged as 'tourism'

Postcard-induced Tourism

November 13th, 2018 · No Comments · Destination Marketing

Ski the Adirondack Mountains of New York State

Ski the Adirondack Mountains of New York State

(Hi-res: Front, Back)

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Lake Placid CVB/ROOST – 2010 Leisure Travel Study

June 14th, 2011 · No Comments · Adirondack News

Lake Placid, NYLAKE PLACID, NY – Leisure travel visitors to Lake Placid and Essex County are environmentally conscious, attracted to the area’s outdoor activities and spent $65 for every dollar spent on marketing in 2010, according to the latest leisure travel information study.

For the eighth year in a row, the Technical Assistance Center (TAC), based at SUNY Plattsburgh, was contracted by the Lake Placid CVB/Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (LPCVB/ROOST) to conduct an independent, third party Leisure Travel Information Study.

According to the report, the average household income of 2010 respondents was $80,000. The average age was 52 years, slightly higher than in 2009, with a 5-year average of 49.9 years.

Respondents live primarily in the Northeast, with an increased number over 2009 residing within New York State. Hotels and motels are the most common type of lodging respondents used during their stay. Outdoor activities remain the strongest reported attraction to the area, followed by relaxing, dining and shopping.

The Lake Placid CVB / Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism is the accredited destination marketing organization responsible for promoting the Schroon Lake, Lake Champlain, Whiteface, Saranac Lake and Lake Placid regions to the traveling public.

The Leisure Travel Information Study is based on a survey of the LPCVB/ROOST’s 2010 trackable leads database. New leads are added on a constant basis; walk-in visitors, phone and mail inquiries, bingo cards from magazine advertising, and web signups provide a snapshot of the respondents to the 2010 overall marketing efforts. This year, social networking participants were included for the first time, establishing a basis for comparison in this growing communications medium in future years.

Although lakeplacid.com alone receives millions of unique visitors, the survey takes only these trackable leads into consideration. In order to calculate the economic impact of the ROOST’s marketing efforts exclusively, the results do not include any standard economic multipliers, such as the impact from group visitation, staff expenditures, sales tax or events.

In addition to valuable demographic data and trends, the study’s intent is to determine the effectiveness of the LPCVB/ROOST’s marketing programs, to measure the return on investment (ROI) ratio for public marketing expenditures and the conversion rate factor, or the number of those leads who actually visited the region.

The report found that the percent of visitors who stated that the information or advertisements viewed influenced their decision to visit the region was 83 percent, which is near the five-year average of 82 percent. And, for every occupancy tax dollar LPCVB/ROOST spent on marketing, visitors to Essex County spent $65.

The major reduction in regional cooperative spending and the elimination of state matching funds in 2010 clearly impacted ROOST’s ability to target as broad a reach of potential travelers as in past years.

“Fewer leads in 2010 is a direct result of the unfunded I Love New York Matching Funds program last year, which limited the number of leads generated from our Adirondack regional program,” said James McKenna, LPCVB/ROOST CEO. “This really highlights the value of pooling resources for cooperative regional marketing, which has resumed at a greater level in our 2011 strategy.”

The 2010 survey also garnered visitor profile data that was not collected in previous years. 80 percent of respondents reported that ecological or environmental sensitivity of the travel destination is either “important” or “extremely important”.

And this year marked the first time that social media (Facebook and Twitter) participants were surveyed. Initial results from this market represented a slightly lower age demographic, a higher interest in the hiking and paddling outdoor activities, and higher interest in the sub-regions of the county; substantially higher in the Lake Champlain region. The social media results are based on a small, but increasing percentage of the overall visitor database, and will serve as a valuable basis for comparison in future years.

The 2010 report, additional LPCVB/ROOST research and more is available for download at the online resource developed specifically for local tourism-related businesses. All are encouraged to review essential news, events, marketing opportunities and travel trends that impact the local tourism economy at www.roostadk.com.

Download: 2010 Leisure Travel Study (PDF)

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Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism announces 2011 Board of Directors

February 15th, 2011 · No Comments · Adirondack News

ROOSTLake Placid, Adirondacks USA – The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism/Lake Placid CVB is pleased to announce the results of the 2011 Board of Directors election.

Over the last 60 years, the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism has evolved from the Lake Placid Chamber of Commerce, providing traditional business services and tourism promotion, to the accredited Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for Lake Placid and Essex County through traditional marketing efforts, communications, and destination planning.


The board of directors, responsible for governing the organization, is comprised of 15 individuals, with at least one director from each of the four tourism regions in Essex County; the Lake Placid/High Peaks, Lake Champlain, Schroon Lake and Whiteface regions. The 2011 slate of officers are as follows: Chair, Justin Smith, Northwoods Inn and Prestige Hospitality Group; Vice Chair, Ed Finnerty, Champlain National Bank; Second Vice Chair, Joe Kelly, Glens Falls National Bank; Treasurer, Mike Beglin, Beglin’s Jewelers, and Secretary Jenn Webb, Golden Arrow Resort.

Newly elected Directors include Beth Hill, Executive Director at Fort Ticonderoga; the Lake Champlain Region representative, and Bob Hockert, owner of Little Peak Chalet and Clearwater Camp vacation rentals, and the Whiteface Region’s board representative. Joe Kelly was reelected to a second term, and is the Schroon Lake Region representative.

They join sitting Directors Deborah Fitts, Lake Placid Sinfonietta; Mary Ann Hawley, Parajax, Inc.; Kate Fish, Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA); Deb McLean, the UPS Store, Jamie Rogers, energy program coordinator at ANCA; Charlie Cowan, financial consultant with Janney Montgomery Scott; and Carol Brown, president of North Country Community College.

“With representatives from diverse facets of the business community, including lodging, retailers, financial institutions, attractions, the arts and educators, the Board of Directors represents a broad range of perspectives and expertise,” said James McKenna, CEO of the DMO. “Our Board commits a lot of time on behalf of the work that we do to promote our destinations, and we extend our gratitude to them all, with special recognition to our outgoing Director, Don Poulsen of Swedish Hill Winery for his dedication.”

“I’m proud to be part of this great team of dedicated volunteers, and excited and optimistic about 2011, said board chair Justin Smith. “With the upcoming opening of the new Conference Center at Lake Placid, and other positive momentum such as the destination planning projects throughout the County, it promises to be a terrific year for our organization and the destinations we represent.”

The election took place during the business portion of the members’ annual meeting on January 31. The business meeting was adjourned, to be reconvened with the social portion this spring in celebration of the opening of the new Conference Center at Lake Placid.

The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism is a private, 501c6 not-for-profit corporation. Most recently doing business as the Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau, the organization has continuously evolved to stay ahead of the changing destination marketplace. Marketing partner news and resources can be found on the organization’s website, www.roostadk.com.

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