LAKE PLACID, NY – The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism is seeking feedback from residents and business owners within Essex and Hamilton counties, along with the villages of Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake regarding their perception of how tourism affects the region.

The survey will capture business owners’ and residents’ perceptions and opinions about a number of topics as they relate to tourism within the region. It seeks to better understand sentiment regarding tourism-related activities and impacts that contribute positively to the local economy and social environment within the region, along with topics that may be a source of concern.

It will be distributed to business owners and residents through email, social media, and local news reports. According to Layne Dowdall, data analyst at the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism, overall community sentiment is more easily gauged by a larger sample size. “We are encouraging those who receive the survey link to share it with family and friends in their local community.”

The survey will uncover local perception regarding tourism’s role in many local issues including: housing, local employment, sustainable business practices, population, and the impact of marketing to outside regions. Many questions are structured to elicit an “agree” or “disagree” response to gauge overall opinion. The  final questions are open-ended, allowing respondents to provide additional information, in their own words. The final survey question offers an opportunity to share important information that may not have been included within the survey.

According to Jane Hooper, communications manager at the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism,  destination management and marketing organizations (DMMOs), such as the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism, work to balance the impacts of tourism with the local social and economic needs.

“To fulfill our role as a DMMO,  it is important that local sentiment is clearly identified and understood,” she said. “This survey of residents and business owners will help us identify economic, societal and community issues, and overall feelings about tourism’s impact on the region. The more we understand about these impacts, the more effectively  we can help make or suggest improvements and changes, while also planning future activities.”

The 30-question survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. The last day to complete the survey is September 14, 2022. A link to the survey can be found here.

Those who take part in the survey will be registered for a chance to win a VISA gift card. All entrants will be added to a drawing, taking place in September for three chances to win VISA gift cards valued at $100, $250 and $500 each.

The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism is the destination marketing and management organization for Hamilton and Essex counties, which includes the Lake Placid region, along with the communities of Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake, all located within the Adirondacks in New York state.

Photo at top: Lake Placid Ironman crowd. Photo courtesy of the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism, Adirondack Almanack archive photo.