Longer stays and increased visitor spending drive year-round economic benefits
The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST), the destination marketing and management organization based in New York's Adirondack Park, reports that visitor spending across Essex, Hamilton, and Franklin counties is on track for a record year in 2026.
According to New York state data, county tax revenue from lodging, restaurants, and attractions is experiencing significant increases in 2026 compared to 2025. Essex County leads with an overall 10.9% increase, followed by Franklin County at 6.3% and Hamilton County at 3.91%. Revenue increases reflect continued traveler interest in visiting the Adirondacks and the impact of strategic marketing and destination management programs designed to strengthen local economies, support businesses, and encourage sustainable visitation throughout the year.
ROOST CEO Dan Kelleher explains the significance of increases in visitation and visitor spending: “This exceptional performance translates to more income for local businesses and workers, along with increased tax revenue for local governments," said Kelleher. "We are particularly encouraged by the continued strength of leisure travel. In September of this year, lodging revenues increased 23.2%, indicating that our efforts to boost off-season visitation are working."
Data and analysis from Smith Travel Research, a leading hotel industry benchmarking and analytics provider, also reflect growth in lodging performance. Aggregate lodging revenue in Essex County has increased 13.3% over 2025, while hotel occupancy has increased 3.3% and average room rates have risen 10%. These results demonstrate that increased visitor spending, rather than simply higher visitation numbers, is contributing significantly to the region's tourism economy.
Each year, ROOST conducts proprietary research examining visitor experiences, preferred activities, travel patterns, length of stay, and spending. Combined with independent tourism industry research and state and county tax data, this information helps ROOST evaluate tourism's economic impact and develop marketing strategies that respond to travel trends, visitor preferences, and community needs.
According to Kelleher, ROOST's most recent leisure travel study identified that the average annual income of visitors throughout the region increased 5.4% over 2024. These visitors also spent 6.0% more during their stays compared to the previous year. "This data reinforces the importance of focusing on the economic value of visitation, rather than simply the number of visitors," said Kelleher.
ROOST's destination marketing and management plan focuses on a number of goals: reaching potential visitors with greater spending potential, encouraging visitors to stay within the region for a longer period of time, and encouraging them to explore communities throughout the region. This approach supports increased economic activity throughout the Adirondacks without relying solely on growth in visitor volume.
In 2026, several attractions and events encouraged visitation within a number of the Adirondack Park’s communities, including the 250th anniversary of the United States, which brought record visitation to Fort Ticonderoga, TROLLS: Save the Humans exhibit at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, World Cup and other championship events that took place at various ORDA venues, and numerous regional events, seasonal festivals and activities in communities throughout the Adirondacks.
ROOST promotes the Adirondacks through coordinated email marketing, social media, paid advertising campaigns, media relations activity, destination websites, and targeted content development. "Our goal isn't simply to bring more people to the Adirondacks," said Kelleher. "It's to attract visitors who are likely to spend more while they're here, encourage them to stay longer, and introduce them to experiences throughout the region.”
ROOST's marketing program is designed to remain flexible and responsive to changing conditions. Travel trends, visitor surveys, lodging statistics, and other market indicators allow the organization to adjust campaign timing, messaging, target audiences, and promotional priorities as needed.