Dear Partners, Even though 2020 was a year of unique and historic challenges, we have found our successes in working with community residents, businesses, governments, and visitors during this unprecedented time. Traditionally, this is the time of year we gather for our annual meeting and winter social. Although that’s not possible this year, we want to share with you the highlights from our 2020 program of work enclosed in the link below. As we embark into the new year, we will continue to focus on the safety and economic health of our communities, using new and creative marketing initiatives to speak to the reinvented travel market. Our outdoorsy, community-driven, fun, creative, passionate, and dog-friendly team are excited to tackle 2021! Thank you, James B. McKenna, CEO Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism View the: 2020 End of Year Report 2020 End of Year Video Coming up next: You're invited to join us for an overview of the 2021 Marketing Plan

Crown Point, New York - The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) is conducting a short survey to help refine the destination marketing message for the Lake Champlain Region. The Lake Champlain Region comprises the towns of Keeseville, Willsboro, Essex, Lewis, Elizabethtown, Westport, Moriah/Port Henry, Crown Point, and Ticonderoga in Essex County, New York. The survey is designed to better understand what motivates people to live, work, and play in the region. Respondents are asked questions about the quality of particular activities, such as hiking, fishing, history experiences, and dining out. One example question asks respondents to describe the Lake Champlain Region to a friend. Results from the survey will be used by ROOST and a committee, made up of business and community members from around the Lake Champlain Region, to refine the destination marketing message and to create a new brand statement. The brand statement is a concise summary of what makes the region unique and special as a place to live, do business, and visit. This will be used to set the message and tone for marketing efforts. “We know that the Lake Champlain Region is an exceptional place,” stated Suzanne Maye, the Lake Champlain Region Marketing Manager for ROOST. “We are excited to work with our partners throughout the region to develop a consistent message that will guide us as we position the Lake Champlain Region to attract new travelers and potential future residents.” Both local residents and visitors of the Lake Champlain Region are encouraged to complete the short survey, which can be found at www.LakeChamplainRegion.com/Survey. Respondents to the survey will be entered into a drawing with three chances to win a $50 Visa Gift Card. The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism is the destination marketing and management organization for Hamilton and Essex counties, along with the communities of Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake, all located within the Adirondacks in New York State. ###

Adirondack Relocation Assessment Survey indicates high potential to attract new residents to communities within the Park Lake Placid, New York - New research conducted by Camoin 310 of Saratoga Springs for the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) in Lake Placid and the Economic Development Corporation of Warren County (EDC) shows there is a strong interest for relocation to the Adirondacks across all income brackets in the Regional Market Area. This area includes New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New Jersey. A total of 6,733 responses were collected and analyzed by Camoin 310 from January 19, 2021 to January 29, 2021. More than 80% of respondents now live in the Northeast, but there were responses from as far away as Florida, California, Texas, Colorado, Missouri, Minnesota, and Oregon, as well as international locations. Key findings indicate that nearly 25% of respondents said they were either "very likely" or "somewhat likely" to relocate here in the next five years. Some indicated they have already moved here. The majority of the respondents said living in the Adirondack communities with access to high-speed internet, health care, and dining and shopping opportunities is a priority. Nearly 23% of Regional Market Demand is between ages 25 to 45. Quality housing and outdoor recreation were the most important factors cited when selecting a community. Remote workers and retirees present the greatest opportunity and over 40% of respondents who are working have the ability to work remotely either full time or a majority of the time. "This is positive for the Adirondacks and provides data to support the Northern Forest Center's report and strategy for ‘Attracting New Residents’ to the Adirondacks. Remote workers are a growing industry in which the Adirondacks are positioned well to pursue,” said James McKenna ROOST’s CEO. “They bring their jobs with them and provide for a new economic base and year-round economy less dependent on the seasonal swings of tourism. We must use this data to drive private investment in new and redeveloped housing stock within the hamlets of the Adirondacks. Planned properly, new residents can sustain our communities, bring our school enrollments back to pre-2000 levels, and provide a better quality of life and services for our current residents." Of the respondents who are working, many currently work in professional services, education, health care, finance and insurance sectors, information technology, and skilled trades. “We have known professional relocation to our area was underway, but this survey validates that the combination of world-class recreation and regional assets make this truly one of the most desired relocation sites in the world,” said Jim Siplon President of EDC. “It is clear we must work with our municipal, business, and professional partners throughout the region to better understand, plan for, and meet this exciting opportunity to enhance our local economies while keenly addressing the attendant demand for housing, broadband, and infrastructure this movement is also highlighting.” Full results of the assessment can be found here: Adirondack-Relocation-Assessment-Survey ROOST is the Destination Marketing & Management Organization for Essex & Hamilton counties and the communities of Saranac Lake & Tupper Lake. EDC is the economic development engine for Warren County, New York, attracting new investment, industry and jobs to the area, and helping our existing businesses expand and thrive. ### Download Press Release

Join us for an update and discussion with community leaders and event organizers on Thursday, March 18, 2021, to discuss summer 2021 events. Date and Time: Thursday, March 18, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. Video Conferencing Link: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/1487716684 Telephone Alternative: (470) 869-2200 Meeting ID: 148 771 6684

Please join New York State Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul for a virtual presentation on New York State’s FY 2022 State Budget. The budget builds on the bold vision to reimagine, rebuild and renew New York by supporting the pandemic recovery of highly-impacted small businesses, restaurants, and the arts and entertainment industries, placing a cap on broadband for low-income families, providing billions in rent relief, and to preserve 100,000 affordable homes, investments from the private and public sectors to create Green Economy opportunities and create the nation’s largest infrastructure plan to drive growth and opportunity for all. Thursday, March 11, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. To Join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88662546123