Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism shares results of 2025 tourism impact survey

28 Jan Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism shares results of 2025 tourism impact survey

The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism has compiled and released the results of its fourth annual tourism impact survey, conducted in late 2025. 

The survey gathered feedback from residents and business owners in Essex and Hamilton counties, as well as the villages of Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake, regarding their perceptions of tourism’s impact on the local economy and community.

The survey was designed to capture business owners’ and residents’ perceptions and opinions on various topics related to tourism in the region. It aims to uncover sentiments regarding tourism-related activities and their impacts which contribute to the local economy and social environment, as well as identify topics that may be sources of concern. Surveys completed by business owners represent 26.6% of total surveys, compared with 73.4% completed by non-business owners. The  vast majority of respondents have lived in the region for more than 11 years and 86% are employed full-time or retired.

According to ROOST Chief Operating Officer Mary Jane Lawrence, destination management and marketing organizations (DMMOs) like ROOST work to balance economics of the tourism industry and community needs. “To be effective as a DMMO, it’s essential that local sentiment is clearly understood,” Lawrence said. “This survey gives residents and business owners a voice, helping us identify opportunities, address challenges, and shape strategies that support the local economy and quality of life for community members.”

Key findings include:

• The vast majority of respondents (83%) believe that tourism positively impacts their community.
• More than 95% of respondents believe that tourism has a positive impact on businesses in their local community.
• The vast majority of respondents indicated that tourism has a positive impact on the region’s economy, the availability of local attractions, retail opportunities, and restaurant options.
• May and June saw the highest proportion of business owners indicating they could benefit from increased business (64% and 62%, respectively), suggesting opportunity for growth in the late spring/early summer period.
• The share of respondents who reported working more than one job (39%) increased by 10 percentage points year over year.
• Each year since 2023, survey respondents believe that the region would benefit most from additional marketing of arts, biking/cycling, and food/restaurants.
• Traffic and affordable housing remain the top cited negative impacts of tourism. Environmental degradation was cited more often than in past years as a negative consequence.
• Since 2022, a growing share of residents agree that increasing the number of permanent residents in their community is important to them.

Results underscore the importance of recent community initiatives to balance community benefits with the positive impacts of the local tourism economy. These initiatives include the Community Tourism Enhancement Fund, which provides funding to each of the 18 towns in Essex County, to enhance the community for residents and visitors. Additionally, ROOST has collaborated with local officials to establish an event committee to review large-scale events and implement recommendations to mitigate impacts. ROOST also works with the region’s elected representatives to assist with initiatives such as workforce housing, grant applications for community improvement, and other projects designed to benefit Essex County communities. 

“The resident sentiment survey is an important tool for ROOST – it allows us to monitor and understand the impacts of tourism on local residents year over year,” stated ROOST President and CEO Dan Kelleher. “We appreciate that the vast majority of respondents affirm the overall benefits of tourism in our region, and we also recognize the important and ongoing work to assist our communities with housing, large-event mitigation, and other destination management initiatives.”

Business owners and residents were invited to complete the survey via email, social media, news reports, and local notices. A total of 737 surveys from residents and business owners were completed in target regions. The results achieved a 5% margin of error at a 99% confidence level.

Respondents were incentivized to take the survey with a chance to win a Visa Gift Card valued at $100.

A link to survey results can be found at ROOSTAdk.com/research.