By Gina Mintzer
A lot has changed since 1952, but there is at least one constant—the tourism sector is crucial to the Lake George regional economy.
The health of this industry affects all who live in the area, whether directly working in hospitality or not. Tourism dollars spent in the area help to offset the local tax burden by thousands of dollars each year. A robust tourism sector also means more attractions, dining, shopping and more to offer to local residents as well.
The Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce & CVB is celebrating its platinum anniversary this year—70 years since this tourism-focused Chamber was incorporated in 1952; 70 years of serving members, visitors and the community.
There is a lot to reflect on as we enter this exciting new year, as we continue to navigate some of our most challenging times. When the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, we didn’t know where we would be nearly two years later. Because of our business community’s ability to adapt, collaborate and stay focused on keeping guests and the community safe (e.g. the Health & Safety Pledge), our area has weathered many challenges.
As COVID-19 numbers surge again and the businesses endure similar labor situations of previous years, creative solutions are top of mind.
Going into 2022, the Lake George Area has even more winter offerings than ever with Winterfest, Ice Castles, the return of Lake George Winter Carnival, as well as all the winter recreation that already exists.
Winterfest is expanding. This year its lasts through March. Already 96 percent of orders for attendance wrist bands have been from outside of Warren County, which bodes well for our economy.
Again, pandemic uncertainty has guests making last-minute reservations for their winter lodging, we’ve heard. But the typically strong booking times, such as President’s Day weekend, are already solidly booked at some properties. Lodging in many areas has had to increase the average daily rate in order to balance out offering less inventory (rooms), often due to staffing issues.
Overall, our Chamber has stood strong through the pandemic with a high retention rate of members as we strengthened our resource capabilities for businesses. Also, the need for community organizations to advocate on behalf of business needs became even clearer.
Under our organization’s umbrella, you’ll find the Chamber, which has close to 450 members, the Lake George Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau (LGRCVB), a division of the Chamber and extension of the Warren County Tourism Department, and the Taste NY program at the Adirondacks Welcome Center.
The LGRCVB’s mission is to bring year-round, weather-proof business to the area in the form of group meetings, sports events, reunions and more. The Taste NY program at the Adirondacks Welcome Center has helped grow small local and regional businesses by selling their products in the vending machines accessible to many travelers.
Looking to 2022, the Chamber continues to promote tourism. Instead of attending travel shows in person this year—since many have been canceled—the Chamber will carry out a strategy of targeting travelers with a distribution of 70,000 copies of our Four-Season Travel Guide, which features Chamber members exclusively.
The Chamber will also produce an updated 2022-23 Community and Business Directory Resource for people who are looking to move to the area or open a business. The Chamber operates the Adirondack Craft Beverage Trail and launched a digital passport in 2021 that continues to grow with more than 1,000 redemptions.
The LGRCVB has had to pivot several times as business and meeting travel has waned in the pandemic. The messaging to these stakeholders has never stopped, though, making the Lake George area well-positioned for when these types of meetings can resume. The LGRCVB helped bring events like the new Adirondack Jeep Invasion to the area, which is looking to return again in June with 1,500 room nights and an estimated economic impact of $3.2 million.
The LGRCVB staff is working 16 events in its convention calendar from 2022 to 2024, including some that are confidential at this point. The economic impact estimated from these events combined is more than $1 billion. That supports jobs and the quality of life in our area.
While there are still so many uncertainties related to the pandemic, community development is a constant focus of the LGRCVB. LGRCVB will continue to develop lakegeorgeishiring.com, started by Mannix Marketing as a collaborative effort. Marketing will target potential employees in the 18-24 age range who might be interested in moving to the area for a summer adventure with a fun job. The LGRCVB also facilitates the Arrival 2 Departure Tourism Awareness Training program. To date, 160 people have completed the training, making the workforce more prepared and skilled than ever.
We’ve learned over the past two years that adaptability and collaboration are keys to our success as we move forward. The Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce & CVB remains dedicated to growing the tourism economy through its programs and divisions during this uncertain but exciting time as we celebrate 70 years.