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In
Essex County, which is almost entirely with Adirondack Park,
tourism is the most promising economy. Within Essex
County, Lake Placid has been a great success story, primarily
based on tourism related to competitive events. Other
areas of the county have struggled, held back by aging tourism
infrastructure and a lack of focused development.
Egret, in a project initiated by the Essex County/Lake Placid
Visitors Bureau, worked with Essex County and 6 target
communities (including Lake Placid) to plan tourism in ways that
generate jobs and business opportunities for local residents,
are a fit for both the Adirondack Park and the existing
communities, and are sustainable.
In
Lake Placid, the Destination Master Plan focuses on "growing"
tourism's revenues and positive impacts while reducing negative
impacts to residents. The plan has a strong "green"
component, a focus on building a solid year-round economy,
actions to improve visitor and resident experiences, and a
balancing between event and leisure tourism.
Each
of the other five target communities (Ticonderoga, Wilmington,
Saranac Lake, Moriah, and Schroon Lake) has developed an
individually tailored Destination Master that reflects tourism
strengths, community needs, and long-term aspirations.
Each
of the plans (county and targeted communities) will be carried
out by a coordinated public/private partnership. Each has
provisions for annual renewal and has a set of "actions" tied to
timelines and responsible parties. The process, which
can be followed on
www.essextourismplan.com, culminated in six community Destination Master Plans and an Essex
County Destination Master Plan in December 2009. |
