Rural economies based on natural amenities and opportunities for outdoor recreation fare better than those which depend upon prisons, local governments and schools for their jobs, several studies indicate. While the populations of most rural counties have been shrinking, those with robust recreational assets and infrastructure have been growing and are expected to continue to grow as telecommuting becomes the established norm and as millennials choose to settle in the places they frequently visited.
Warren County – which saw its population decline from 2023 to 2024 – could and perhaps should become one of those recreation-based economies, according to Josiah Brown, president of Famous Destination Marketing and a former chair of the New York State Hospitality Association, who is advising the county tourism department on the development of a new visitor study.
“We have invited Josiah Brown to really look at the ‘visitor economy stewardship vision’ from the perspective of Warren County, to review who we are and what we are,” said Heather Bagshaw, the county’s tourism director. “We stand to benefit from the visitor studies that he has conducted throughout the United States for other destinations.”
According to Brown, a county’s tourism office ought to be more closely aligned with its economic development agency than perhaps it was in the past.
“An entire industry was built on the two-week family vacation at the lake or the ocean and the travel destinations of retirees,” he said, referring to the post-World War II era that shaped the Lake George’s tourism economy.
Today, as millennials “prioritize where they want to live, based on their experience as visitors, and only later make decisions about how to make a living,” the marketing and branding of a destination becomes “another facet of economic development,” Brown said.
“Getting our share of the visitors traversing the world is now inextricably tied to getting our share of investors, residents and families,” he explained.
According to Brown, the visitor economy is not limited to outdoor amenities such as kayak launches and hiking and mountain biking trails; it encompasses craft beers, shops where espresso is served and laptops can be recharged and even something as specific as the availability of avocado toast or New York bagels.
Attracting that type of visitors will, ultimately, “stabilize your resident population,” claims Brown.
Amenity Traps
An in-depth analysis of the region’s visitor economy would not only make recommendations about how best to educate established residents about the importance of visitors to the local economy but also, “how to make sure the tourists aren’t driving the residents crazy,” said Brown.
Some recent studies suggest that places whose natural amenities attract an influx of new residents are vulnerable to being “loved to death,” according to one such study, published by Headwaters Economics and titled, “Amenity Trap: How high-amenity communities can avoid being loved to death.”
“Housing becomes unaffordable, forcing long-time residents out and contributing to labor shortages. Infrastructure, municipal finances and community well-being can be overcome by a wave of unexpected growth and fraught public discourse,” the study’s authors write.
Other Issues
Among other issues to be addressed: how resorts and restaurants geared to the traditional vacationer can adapt to the millennials and the shorter-stays they favor.
According to Gary Thornquist of the Lake George RV Park and a vice president of the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce, “the length of the stay has gone from seven to three nights. Monday through Wednesday, we all struggle. All tourism businesses face this challenge,” he said.
Thornquist urged the new study’s authors to consider strategies that would encourage millennials to lengthen their stays.
Walt Lender, vice president for Development and Government Relations of the Silver Bay YMCA resort and conference center, said his organization “has become more flexible, accommodating those whose visit may be limited to two nights rather than extending through the traditional one or two weeks.”
“We want people to enjoy the place – to swim, kayak and take advantage of everything else we have to offer,” said Lender, who noted that the policy is relatively new.
Roundtable Discussion Planned
According to Heather Bagshaw, the visitor study will incorporate the insights and experience of businessowners and local government officials.
It might also benefit from a roundtable discussion on the future of tourism in the Lake George region, said Queensbury Supervisor John Strough.
“It would be geared toward those in the tourism business and be an opportunity for brainstorming and sharing ideas,” said Strough. “People would be invited to discuss trends which may not yet be fully recognized, new markets and new marketing techniques.”
That roundtable discussion could take place as early as June, said Heather Bagshaw.
