Have you ever considered what attracts a business to a certain community? Or why you chose to live where you do? Is it the proximity to and a variety of restaurants, entertainment opportunities, or places to work? Did you ever wonder what it took to make your neighborhood one that you want to live in? Behind every community is a group of businesses and individuals working to create positive change, those dedicated professionals are economic developers. Economic Development is more than meets the eye, which is why we’re pulling back the curtain to expose all of the moving parts behind making our community a great one to be a part of.
A quick Google search would define tourism as the commercial organization and operation of vacations and visits to places of interest. Tourism helps increase quality of life and bring investments into a community. This is especially true in the North Country. Tourism plays a critical role in economic development by bringing visitors to northern New York and keeps them coming back time and time again!
While tourism doesn’t build tangible, “brick and mortar” investments, it creates a concentration of people that want to invest their money into businesses.
According to Tourism Economics, in 2021, New York State had millions of visitors who spent $52 billion which created a total economic impact of $85.5 billion! The Adirondack region* saw visitor spending and tourism-related jobs grow to a $1.9 billion industry and 18,840 jobs!
Many large events, such as the Lake Champlain annual fishing tournaments, attracts spectators, athletes, and their families to the area. Five professional bass fishing tournaments brought 2,000 athletes to the area. There was a $3.2 million economic impact from these events. People bringing trucks that require gas, families want to go shopping and dining, and travelers stay an average of five nights in hotels. These are really important events during the summer months on the Adirondack Coast. Each person who takes part of this event has a positive impact on the region.
The Adirondack Coast Tourism team, also known as the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), or tourism bureau, is part of the North Country Chamber of Commerce. The team works closely with local businesses to offer services visitors want and in turn promotes the goods, services, and activities happening in our region to potential visitors. The Adirondack Coast VCB provides many resources for the community to help grow tourism. Webinars and seminars are offered for businesses to help their operations grow. The marketing team helps with collateral for business partners, focusing on those who interface with visitors on the regular.
The best part of northern New York is the distinctive seasons that bring different options for visitors to partake in. During the chilly winter months, visitors can ski, snowboard, snowshoe, and snowmobile on the array of mountains and trails. Springtime offers tourists visits to maple sugar houses for fresh pancakes and syrup, as well as trying different wineries and breweries. The summer months bring more outdoor activities with kayaking, hiking, boating, yoga, museums, and outdoor dining! While the fall weather gets cooler, locals celebrate as autumn in our region is the favorite for many. Visitors can hike the many peaks, visit farms, and orchards to pick applies and pumpkins, peruse farmer's markets, shop, and enjoy the scenic drives. The fall foliage is a must-see.
Our region also offers a variety of places for tourists to refuel. The local dining options range from Anthony's to Zuke’s Corner Store & Deli which means there really is something for everyone. It adds up too, regional dining accounted for 22% of traveler spending in 2019. There are many diverse dining options in the Plattsburgh area which offer cuisines like Italian, Indian, American bistro, Jamaican, farm-to-table and of course, the famous michigan. You can see local options by visiting The Adirondack Coast Dining Page.
The relationship between locals and visitors is important. They help give visitors a feel for the area and establish amazing spots that locals may go to. Tourism is the fun link in economic development that helps bring people to the area. Economic development not only involves the nitty gritty aspects of crosswalks and providing childcare, it also involves highlighting parts of our community that make us unique and desirable to visit.
Hungry for more Alphabet soup? Read more! TDC’s Alphabet Soup blog series aims to demystify Economic Development and shed some light on our partners in the community who work to make Northern NY a great place to live and do business.
*Read the full Tourism Economics report on the Adirondack Region
