Malone, N.Y. — The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) invites all interested Malone area municipal leaders, businesses, organizations, and individuals to attend a meeting to review the results of a recent tourism survey. The survey results will better identify the profile of the ROOST traveler - information that can then be applied to marketing efforts. The meeting is Wednesday, May 23 from 6-7p.m. at The Wead Library, 64 Elm Street. The agenda will include a brief presentation by ROOST staff and time for Q&A. "This will be a very informational meeting for everyone that is involved in the tourism industry in Malone," said Tim Lamay, ROOST's regional manager for the area. "Our research results will help to better tell the story of who a typical Malone area visitor is and some of the attractions/activities that they come here for."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Carrie Gentile, communications coordinator Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism direct: 518.621.3665 or 518.523.2445 ext. 123 Temporary road closure and course information announced for the 14th Lake Placid Marathon and Half on June 10, 2018 Alternate Routes Provided Lake Placid, NY - The annual Lake Placid Marathon and Half will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 10, with an expected 1,100 runners from 32 states and six countries. Both races begin and end at the Olympic Speedskating Oval and include use of Main Street, Mirror Lake Drive/Lake Placid Club Drive, Parkside Drive, Morningside Drive, Sentinel Road, River Road, Mill Pond Drive, McLenathan Avenue and School Street. Temporary Closures: Main St.- Closed between Lake Placid Club Drive (Central Garage Mobil) and Mirror Lake Dr. (High Peaks Resort) from 7:45 am until 8:30 am. Mirror Lake Drive between Main St. and Harbor Lane- Closed between 7:45 am and 8:30 am. Mirror Lake Drive/Lake Placid Club Drive- Closed from Parkside Dr. to Northwood Rd. from 7:45 am until 8:45 am. Parkside Dr. – Closed from Lake Placid Club Dr. to Main St./Morningside Dr. intersection from 8:15 am until 9:00 am. Rte. 73/Rte. 86 Intersection at Mill Hill- Expect delays from 8:15 am until 9:00 am. Rte. 73/Sentinel Rd./Cascade Rd. – Southbound lane closed from 8 am until 2 pm between Mill Pond Dr. intersection and Old Military Rd. intersection. Northbound lane open (use caution) to local traffic with minor delays expected at Old Military Rd. intersection. Businesses on Mill Hill can be accessed from the Main St. direction throughout the event. Mill Pond Dr. – Closed between Sentinel Rd. (Lisa G’s) and McLenathan Ave. from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. Local traffic only between WesValley Rd. and McLenathan Ave. from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. McLenathan Ave./School St. – Open to local traffic only, please use caution. River Rd.- Open to local traffic only, please use caution. Alternate Routes (8 am-2 pm) *For Northbound through traffic on Rte. 73 entering Lake Placid: Head west on Old Military Rd. at the ski jumps. Follow Old Military Rd. to firehouse and make a right on River St. Make a left on WesValley Rd. and right onto Cummins Rd. to arrive at Main St. *For Southbound traffic leaving Lake Placid on Rte. 73: Make right off Main St. at Cummins Rd. and left at WesValley Rd. Make a right onto River St. and left onto Old Military Rd. at the firehouse. Old Military Rd. intersects Rte. 73 at the ski jumps. *Two way vehicle traffic will continue throughout the event at the ski jump bridge on Rte. 73 with Old Military Rd. accessible in both directions. Runners will be confined to the shoulder / sidewalk on Rte. 73 between the Horseshow Grounds and River Rd. *Runners will proceed clockwise around Mirror Lake Dr. on the inside lane from 8-8:30 am. Vehicles will be allowed around Mirror Lake Dr. from Northwood Rd. to Harbor Way during this period. *For those traveling on Rte. 86 West through Lake Placid, avoid possible early morning delays by utilizing Northwood Rd., Mirror Lake Dr., and Harbor Lane to reach Saranac Ave. For more race information, visit www.LakePlacidMarathon.com. ###

July 3, 2018 ROOST is helping the NYSDEC spread the word about hiking this July 4 week in hot and humid weather by sharing the information outlined below: Notice to visitors planning to hike the mountains of the Adirondacks this Holiday week: This week’s temperatures remain in the high 80’s to mid-90’s. Rocky and exposed mountain summits will radiate higher surface temperatures. Bring more water than you think you’ll need as well as a means to filter more water from sources along trails. Hike slowly, rest and hydrate often. Avoid long exposure to sunlight. Heat exhaustion can occur rapidly and be extremely dangerous out in the backcountry. Know your physical limitations. There are many amazing trails to explore in the Adirondacks that provide shorter trails with epic views. Try these; The Crows- Hurricane Mountain Wilderness Bear Den Mountain- Taylor Pond Wild Forest Silver Lake Mountain- Taylor Pond Wild Forest Cobble Lookout- Wilmington Wild Forest Catamount Mountain- Taylor Pond Wild Forest Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain- Taylor Pond Wild Forest Owl Head Lookout- Giant Mountain Wilderness For descriptions and more alternate hikes, visit http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9163.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Carrie Gentile, Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism 518-621-3665 Temporary road closure information for the IRONMAN Lake Placid triathlon on Sunday, July 22 Lake Placid, NY - The 20th annual IRONMAN Lake Placid triathlon will take place from 6:25 a.m. to midnight Sunday, July 22. The triathlon route includes a 2.4-mile swim in Mirror Lake, a 112-mile bike ride through Lake Placid, Keene, Upper Jay, Jay, Black Brook, and Wilmington, and a 26.2-mile run in and around the Lake Placid village. Temporary road closures will begin at 5 a.m. The following are all estimated times based on New York State Police traffic control. Please use caution and expect delays. **Please note that the bike course has changed this year and cyclists will not be riding from Jay to Ausable Forks. Cyclists will be traveling farther down Haselton Road. Road closures (Rt 86) Southbound in to Lake Placid from Wilmington beginning at 7 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. Rt 86 westbound from Jay to Wilmington will close from 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. Rt 9N will close Northbound from Keene to Jay at 6 a.m until 5 p.m. Haselton Road will be closed in both directions from Bilhuber Road to the Black Brook town line from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Haselton Road from Rt 86 to Bilhuber Road will be open only Northbound from 8 a.m -5 p.m. Road closures (Rt 73) south/eastbound from Lake Placid to Keene beginning at 5 a.m. until 4 p.m. Alternate Routes LAKE PLACID TO JAY From Saranac Avenue/Route 86, go left at Main Street at the High Peaks Resort to Mirror Lake Drive. Left on Northwood Road. Left on Cobble Hill Road. Left on Route 86 to Wilmington. Right on Route 86 to Jay. Expect delays in the Village of Lake Placid, in Wilmington, and in Jay from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. AUSABLE FORKS TO WILMINGTON North on Main Street at Stewart’s to stop sign. Left on Guideboard Road. Bear left at fork to Silver Lake Road. Left on Bonnieview Road to Wilmington. Expect delays at intersection in Wilmington. AUSABLE FORKS TO SARANAC LAKE/LAKE PLACID North on Main Street at Stewart’s to stop sign. Left on Guideboard Road. Bear left at fork to Silver Lake Road. Left on Union Falls Road to Route 3. Left on Route 3 to Saranac Lake. In Saranac Lake take Route 86 East to Lake Placid. AUSABLE FORKS TO KEENE Route 86 West, crossing Jersey Bridge to Sheldrake Road. Right on North Jay Road. (County Route 64). Left on Valley Road (County Route 58). Right on Trumbulls Corner Road. Left on Route 9N South to Keene. Expect delays in Ausable Forks and at Route 9N intersection. SARANAC LAKE TO I-87 SOUTHBOUND Route 3 West to Tupper Lake. Route 30 South to Long Lake. Route 28N to Newcomb. Route 2 East to Exit 29 on Route I-87 or Route 28N to Warrensburg. POINTS SOUTH ON ROUTE I-87 TO LAKE PLACID From Northbound Route I-87 take exit 29 to Route 2 West to Route 28N. Turn right on Route 28N to Newcomb. Route 28N to Long Lake. Right on Route 30 to Tupper Lake. Right on Route 3 East to Saranac Lake. Take exit 30 towards Keene. Follow route 9N to Rt 73. Expect delays at Keene. POINTS NORTH ON ROUTE I-87 TO LAKE PLACID From Southbound on Route I-87 take exit 31 to Route 9N North. Route 9N North to Elizabethtown. Route 9N North to Route 73. Right on Route 73 to Keene. Expect delays at the intersection in Keene. KEENE TO LAKE PLACID Route 73 Westbound lane open. Expect Delays at River Road/Ski Jumps intersection. Access Village of Lake Placid via Old Military Road. LAKE PLACID TO WILMINGTON/AUSABLE FORKS/I-87 NORTHBOUND From Saranac Avenue/Route 86, go left at Main Street at the High Peaks Resort to Mirror Lake Drive. Left on Northwood Road. Left on Cobble Hill Road. Left on Route 86 to Wilmington. Straight through intersection on Bonnieview Road (County Route 19). Right on Silver Lake Road and follow detour arrows to Ausable Forks. Expect delays in the Village of Lake Placid and in Wilmington from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ###

For Immediate Release July 2018 - Released this week, the results of the latest Leisure Travel Information Study concludes a return of $62 for every dollar spent on marketing in 2017. The study also provides comprehensive traveler demographic insight for the Adirondacks’ Essex, Franklin, and Hamilton counties. For the 14th year, the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) contracted an independent third party, PlaceMaking, to conduct a Leisure Travel Information Study, which includes a regional return on marketing investment analysis, plus traveler data for the three counties. ROOST is the accredited destination marketing organization (DMO) responsible for promoting Essex County, Franklin County, Hamilton County, the Town of North Elba, the Town and Village of Tupper Lake, Harrietstown, the Village of Lake Placid, Piercefield, and Saranac Lake, New York to the traveling public. New this year is additional research on day trippers and short-term renters, and traveler daily expenditures broken down by type of lodging. The research shows travelers that stay in traditional lodging (hotels, motel, etc) outspend on a daily basis their counterparts by a significant margin. Hotel, motel, and resort customers spend more on meals, shopping, transportation and attractions than those who stay at campgrounds, short-term rentals, a second home or with family, or day-trippers. In addition to providing valuable demographic data and trends, the study’s intent is to measure the effectiveness of ROOST’s marketing programs. This is achieved by measuring the return on investment (ROI) ratio for public marketing expenditures and the conversion rate factor, or the number of leads who actually visited the region. The study is based on a survey of ROOST’s 2017 trackable leads database. “Leads” represent the contact information collected from individuals who have responded to ROOST’s destination marketing efforts, such as online contest entries or newsletter sign-ups or engaged social media followers. For example, although lakeplacid.com alone received over 1.1 million unique visitors in 2017, the study takes only the trackable leads into consideration. Following are some highlights: The average stay reported by 2017 visitors was 3 nights. The average daily traveler party spending in 2017 is estimated at $326 per day, Or a total of $977 per trip. Peak summer (July/August: 36%), followed by fall (September/October: 21%), then early summer (May/June: 20%) were the highest reported times of visitation. Winter season is the lowest activity period regionally with 17% of visits reported between November and February. The estimated number of leisure travelers to the region in 2017 based on contacts through ROOST and the conversion rate reported by survey respondents is more than 968,550. These travelers generated an estimated $240,416,938 million during these visits. Average visitor party age of respondents who primarily visited Essex County is 53 years old; this is very close to the five-year average traveler age (52) as compared to Franklin and Hamilton county respondents with an average age of 54 and 56 respectively. Mean annual reported household income of visitors to Essex County was $103,121; Franklin County was $87,717; and Hamilton was $87,662,. Although warm weather months saw more visitation across the region, Essex County saw greater reported winter visitation at 22% than Franklin (12%) and Hamilton (9%) counties. The top two greatest reported area of residence for travelers to Essex County is Albany (29.3%) and New York City metro area (16.2%); Franklin County’s is Albany (16.2%) and Watertown (10.2%), and Hamilton County’s is Albany (26.3%) and Syracuse (16.4%). The type of accommodations travelers reported to have stayed reflected the individual counties’ inventory. The majority of travelers stayed in hotels/motels/resorts in Essex County; hotels/motels/resorts in Franklin County with campgrounds (RV camper, tent, cabin) a close second; and campgrounds (RV camper, tent, cabin) in Hamilton County, with hotels/motels/resorts a close second. “The results of this study contribute to our data-driven decisions, informing our ongoing marketing strategies,” said James McKenna, president of ROOST. “The differences in some of the individual county results highlight the need to continue to promote to a varied audience the unique characteristics of the diverse product offered throughout our geographic area of responsibility.” The 2017 report, additional ROOST research and more is available for download at the online resource developed specifically for local tourism-related businesses. All are encouraged to review essential news, events, marketing opportunities, and information at www.roostadk.com. ### Full Leisure Travel Study Results available online at: http://www.roostadk.com/research Media Contact: Carrie Gentile, Communications Coordinator 518.621.3665 | cgentile@roostadk.com