First Working Trip Report

Bob Harvey and Diane Kelsay of Egret Communications came to Essex County on the first working trip of the Essex County Tourism Master Planning Project in late May 2008. 

Working with James McKenna and Nancy Decker (representing the Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau), the team held Introduction/Assessment meetings with local groups in six areas:

• Ticonderoga

• Schroon Lake

• Moriah

• Wilmington

• Saranac Lake

• Lake Placid

Those meetings contributed to the development of first round assessments which are now posted on this project website.

There was also a project introduction meeting with resource managers and conservation interests.  That meeting was viewed by Egret as very productive.  Both resource managers and conservation leaders expressed support for sustainable tourism and for managing tourism in ways that minimize impacts on public resources while helping visitors understand and experience the Adirondacks.

The Egret team also spent signficant time quietly exploring Essex County, looking at current tourism products and experiences.  They explored scenic routes and Olympic venues.  They asked questions of tourism frontliners and shopkeepers.  They observed tourism patterns and interviewed some of the visitors.