16 Oct Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism conducts Adirondack tourism impact survey
The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) is seeking feedback from residents and business owners within Essex and Hamilton counties, along with the villages of Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake, regarding their perception of how tourism affects the economy and impacts the region.
The survey will be distributed to business owners and local residents through email and via social media channels, with responses collected throughout October. A link to the survey can be found here.
The survey will capture business owners’ and residents’ perceptions, opinions, and overall sentiment about a number of topics related to tourism within the region. It will collect information about ways in which the local tourism economy benefits local communities with regard to local services, business success, job creation, and overall quality of life—including its relationship to housing, employment, population, and impacts of marketing the area to outside regions. Many questions are structured to elicit an “agree” or “disagree” response, while the final survey questions are open-ended to encourage respondents to share information that may not have been asked within the survey.
According to ROOST COO Mary Jane Lawrence, the organization is committed to continuously enhancing processes and refining its scope of work to help ensure that communities benefit from the tourism economy. One important way that it measures its progress toward that goal is by conducting and analyzing tourism-focused research. “ROOST is focused on creating a sustainable tourism economy that supports the Adirondacks—economically, socially, and environmentally,” she said. “We actively seek community input on a regular basis to assess efforts, measure success, and identify opportunities for ongoing improvement or changes. Understanding local sentiment is key to balancing tourism’s impact with community needs. This annual survey helps identify areas of concern, allowing us to manage tourism more effectively and plan for the future.”
According to Layne Dowdall, data and paid media strategist at the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism, ROOST is hoping that many local residents will complete the survey. “The more people who take the survey, the clearer picture we’ll have of how our communities feel about the impact of tourism,” she said. “We’re encouraging anyone who receives the survey link to share it with family and friends in their community.”
The 31-question survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. Those who take part will be registered for a chance to win a VISA gift card, valued at $100.
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