Travelers Looking for Adventure Fun this Summer

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. --- Camping, boating, hiking, biking or visiting museums, how are you and your family going to spend your summer vacation?

“Travelers are being a little more value conscious and want the best possible experience for their dollars and time,” noted James McKenna, president/CEO of the Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau. “These are cost conscious activities for the entire family and since we’re located in the middle of this country’s biggest outdoor playground, we’re situated well for a good summer.”

Two recent surveys support McKenna’s claim and point that U.S. travelers will be going a little leaner and greener this summer.

An AOL and Zogby International poll, of more than 2,000 travelers, showed that 52 percent of those surveyed said that they have smaller vacation budgets for this year, when compared to last year, and 30 percent went on to say that they would be spending $1,000.00 or less when vacationing. The Trip Advisor poll, of 3,000 U.S. travelers, showed similar findings. Seventy-three percent of U.S. respondents said they plan to visit a national park in 2009, up from 62 percent one year ago. Fifty-three percent will go hiking in the coming year, up from 50 percent last year, while 47 percent of those surveyed plan to engage in an adventure activity, an increase from 40 percent in 2008.

“We shouldn’t be alarmed by these two surveys, but that doesn’t mean that lodging in the region shouldn’t be more creative to attract customers,” remarked McKenna. “Market trends are showing that packages are attracting customers, and you don’t have to look too far to see that properties are noticing and adjusting. Just the other day, I saw that the Sagamore in Bolton Landing (New York) had rooms and packages starting as low as $119.00 a night. The competition is fierce in this industry right now, and properties need to determine how they will position themselves to attract business.”

The Lake Placid region’s proximity to major metro markets may have helped it weather this past winter. While several vacation destinations including Hawaii, Las Vegas and Orlando saw significant declines in visitations in 2008 and during the first quarter of 2009, the Lake Placid region only felt a small decline in occupancy tax collections from the same time last year, however; it’s well ahead of what was taken in during the first quarter of 2007.

“It’s a slight advantage being situated near major urban centers, just 200 to 300 miles, from cities like New York, Philadelphia, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal,” noted McKenna. “It does give us a bit of an edge over several other travel and ‘fly-to’ destination so our proximity to major New England, Mid-Atlantic and Canadian metro areas bodes well for the Adirondacks.

“So far this year most of our online reservations are from people who live within a six-hour driving distance and the reduced gas prices have allowed visitors to seek destinations closer to home”

McKenna also believes that the wide array of summer activities and events should continue to attract visitors to the region. Some of what’s happening in the area include the Lake Placid and I Love New York Horse Shows, the annual Saranac Lake Rugby Tournament, the lacrosse tournaments, as well as both the Lake Placid Marathon and half marathon and the Lake Placid Ironman.

The July 26 Ironman race has become the leading revenue producing event in our county, with an estimated $10-million in direct spending leading up to and during the race weekend. This includes $375-thousand generated in Essex County sales tax.