The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) has developed resources for use by local businesses, encouraging Adirondack residents to shop within their local communities this holiday season. The campaign focuses on the importance of supporting local shops, services, and restaurants throughout the holiday season and beyond by supporting community-based holiday shopping events, highlighting the unique shopping opportunities within the region, promoting the importance of supporting the local communities, and highlighting the unique gifts and experiences that are available locally. The “ShopADK'' promotion can be used by any business within the Adirondacks to help promote its products or services as they prepare for the holiday shopping season. Posters, customizable flyers, logos, and social media graphics are available through a free, downloadable tool kit from the ROOST website. The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism also offers an events calendar that can be used to help promote events and activities. Businesses can use the ShopADK promotional materials to share information about products, services and events in different ways. They can share products on social media, along with the hashtag #ShopADK so that the posts become searchable for those wishing to shop local. Business owners can also send information about their products to the team at ROOST so that they can be included with the weekly “Insider” newsletter, sent to thousands of people each week. ShopADK posters can be displayed within businesses and flyers can be used to share information about specific products, services and events. The flyers can be customized with information about upcoming events and specials, or displayed internally to share product information. According to ROOST Communications Manager Jane Hooper, the ShopADK campaign will help to ensure that the region’s businesses are top-of-mind as people plan for the holidays. “ROOST supports local business by helping to promote the services and products available within the region to both visitors and residents,” she said. “The ShopADK campaign encourages people to shop at our amazing, creative and unique businesses that offer great shopping experiences, excellent customer service, unique products and fun events. The ROOST event calendar is another valuable tool for local businesses and organizations, helping to connect business events with the local residents and visitors. Businesses that are hosting unique and exciting events this season such as live music, art shows, grand openings, offering a chance to meet Santa, book signings, gift wrapping opportunities, “mens shopping nights” or other celebrations, can share that information on the region’s event calendar and Insider newsletter. Local residents can subscribe to the weekly newsletter so that the information is delivered directly to their email. Local residents can sign up for the weekly Insider newsletter for their region by visiting the event promotion page of the ROOST website. Businesses and community organizations are encouraged to use the event calendar throughout the year to help promote upcoming events and activities. 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. Contact:Jane Hooper, communications managerRegional Office Of Sustainable Tourism518.578.6328 (cell) 518.621.3662 (office)jane@roostadk.com

The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) has welcomed a number of travel writers and social media personalities to the Adirondacks in recent months. The Adirondacks have been featured in Instagram posts, YouTube videos, and print magazines, including Vogue and Rhode Island Monthly. The print and social media features showcase activities that include mountain biking, hiking and kayaking along with more leisurely vacation pursuits such as sightseeing and visiting local attractions. ROOST engages with writers and social media personalities as part of its marketing strategy to encourage story development about the Adirondacks. This includes social media personalities with a significant following, travel writers who work for publications within driving distance of the region, and often includes those with a YouTube channel, Instagram following or Facebook presence. In many cases, these writers share information over a number of different media platforms since they often have websites and personal blogs while working across more than one social media platform. Writers and social media personalities that ROOST engages with are chosen specifically based on their audience demographic, publication distribution, and audience size so that they align with the Adirondacks’ target audience. The Adirondacks are within a day’s drive for more than 25% of the entire North American population, so media outlets with audiences within that geographic radius are prioritized. According to Jane Hooper, communications manager at ROOST, working with travel writers and social media personalities is one tactic that ROOST employs, in addition to traditional advertising, website development, brochures, and direct email marketing. “We know that people receive information about travel destinations from a variety of sources, often depending on their particular areas of interest,” she said. “So, it’s important to share information about the region through a variety of channels; we also need to ensure that the channel appeals to the targeted audience. Marketing has become very segmented - especially for a large region like ours with so many things to offer.” Nicole Kliest, a freelance writer who works with Vogue magazine, visited the Adirondacks in early November. ROOST communications staff spoke with Kliest before her visit to develop the story idea and share pertinent information about the region. ROOST developed an itinerary and made a number of additional suggestions about local communities, restaurants, attractions and hiking trails within Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Keene and Elizabethtown. The resulting article has been published this week, with an estimated reach of more than 9 million people. “This type of exposure is incredibly valuable for the region,” said Hooper. Gina Danza, also known as Wild Gina, visited Lake Placid, Wilmington, and Tupper Lake in early fall. She is a TV producer and creator for Discovery on Instagram. Her Instagram following is roughly 69,000, many of whom follow her adventures to unique places around the world. Gina has been advocating for the inclusion of diverse narratives and images when referring to travel, in much the same way that ROOST has been working to ensure that the Adirondacks welcome all travelers from diverse backgrounds and abilities. Lambert Mixson produces travel-related mountain biking videos shared on his “Biking with Bobo” YouTube channel and social media accounts. Bobo is a seasoned mountain biker from Asheville, NC with a significant social media presence; his videos have been viewed more than a million times. He visited the Adirondacks in late September, riding trails in Lake Placid, Wilmington, and Elizabethtown with local experts. Bobo also spent time exploring the communities and speaking with residents to learn what makes the Adirondacks special. Three videos chronicling his Adirondack adventures were produced and have been viewed more than 100,000 times. Lauren Clem from Rhode Island Monthly visited various sites across Hamilton County in May for an issue that was published this past fall. The ROOST communications team developed an itinerary that included Potters Resort in Blue Mountain Lake, Raquette Lake Navigation Company, the Adirondack Experience, and Great Camp Sagamore, along with restaurants and other attractions within Hamilton County. The resulting story focused on the region’s beauty and activities, along with regional history. The article emphasized that Rhode Island is within a day’s drive of the region, making it a great option for people looking to escape to a small town with great amenities, big experiences, and vibrant scenery. According to ROOST Communications Coordinator Sydney Aveson, one of the organization’s goals is to support the local economy by promoting the region to travelers, while protecting the Adirondack lifestyle. “Encouraging sustainability by sharing information about towns, villages and activities throughout the region is especially important,” she said. “ROOST shares information about the Adirondacks as a whole, encouraging people to also explore the region. While some areas are always a natural draw for visitors, we intentionally encourage people to learn about and visit all of the different communities by sharing what makes them interesting and unique.” The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism works to share information about visiting the region, along with improving communities, encouraging environmental protections and managing the impacts of tourism on the region. Its marketing plan is updated each year with goals and priorities for its work. Priorities include presenting information about the region to writers and social media personalities that have diverse audiences while showcasing all areas of the region. ROOST also works to promote travel to the region outside the traditionally busy times, such as mid-week and during the months that traditionally experience fewer travelers. 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. ROOST is also a Community Member of the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. Contact: Sydney Aveson, communications coordinatorRegional Office of Sustainable Tourism518.523.2445sydney@roostadk.com

The Lake Placid Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism will host a Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games public information session on Thursday, January 5 at 5:30 p.m. at the North Elba Town Hall. Area residents and business owners are encouraged to attend. Presenters include officials from Adirondack Sports Council along with the NYS Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), community event planners and the Lake Placid Police Department. Information about local and regional businesses, community impact, and visitor engagement during the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games will be discussed. Topics will include village and business-related information, venue information, volunteer opportunities, updated and finalized schedules, traffic impacts, and local celebration venues and activities. There will be an opportunity for attendees to ask questions about the games and related events. The Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games are expected to bring more than 2,100 collegiate athletes and delegates from 43 nations and 595 universities to Lake Placid and the surrounding region to compete in 12 sports and 86 events. The Lake Placid region will play host to Alpine skiing at Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington and curling in Saranac Lake. ORDA will host events at its Olympic venues in Lake Placid including the opening and closing ceremonies, biathlon, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined, ski jumping, figure skating, speed skating, short track speed skating and the medal rounds for ice hockey. Lake Placid’s Main Street will be the center of activity, with nightly events, live music and medal award ceremonies. The international, multi-sport event takes place within multiple communities throughout the Adirondacks, including Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Wilmington, Canton, Potsdam and North Creek, from January 12-22, 2023. Information about the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games can be found at LakePlacid.com/2023. The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism is the destination marketing and management organization for Hamilton and Essex counties, including the communities of Lake Placid, Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake, all located within the Adirondacks in New York state. Contact: Jane Hooper, communications managerRegional Office Of Sustainable Tourism518.578.6328 (cell) 518.621.3662 (office)jane@roostadk.com

FIS Ski Jumping World Cup comes to Lake Placid with strong ticket sales What: FIS Ski Jumping World Cup When: Feb 10 - 12, 2023 Where: Olympic Jumping Complex More info: https://lakeplacidlegacysites.com/todo/fis-ski-jumping-world-cup/ World Cup Ski Jumping is back, and as of January 23, over 5,000 tickets have already been sold for both Saturday and Sunday! With the newly renovated venues, ORDA is able to welcome the World Cup back to Lake Placid for the first time in 32 years! The event will consist of Men’s Ski Jumping on the HS 128-meter ski jump with athletes from around the world, including Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Austria, Germany, and more. There will be a break in the competition from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. This is also the last weekend of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival. It is shaping up to be a busy weekend!

Akwesasne Travel, The Wild Center and the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) have partnered to offer a series of three information sessions for local businesses and organizations that focus on tourism within the region. The North Country Travel Trade Activation is a series of free workshops that will share information designed to increase international and group travel business. The workshops will provide strategies to work with travel trade - organizations that sell tour packages and make itineraries for groups and individuals. These 2-hour virtual sessions take place on February 9, March 2 and March 22, beginning at 10:30am. Businesses can register for the sessions on the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism website. Presented by Alon Tourism Solutions, the workshops will assist participants by providing specific strategies and resources to grow business through building relationships with long-term business partners and enhancing marketing efforts with business-to-business resellers of travel (referred to as “travel trade”), including online travel agents, tour operators, wholesalers, and travel agents. Partnering with these resellers allows local travel-oriented businesses to share travel packages with national and international travelers. ALON Tourism Solutions has partnered with New York State Tourism for more than 20 years, providing seminars, workshops and comprehensive training that equips destinations, venues and small businesses with the information and skills required to successfully work with the travel trade. The workshops provided by Alon encourage businesses to develop a strong, local tourism network - one that helps local businesses develop partnerships to attract visitors to the local area; all designed to advance economic development in the region. According to Nick Gunn, marketing director at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, the workshops will offer a great deal of information for local businesses, encouraging them to view other tourism-based organizations as partners that can help position an entire community as a wonderful destination. "Our backyard has so much to offer the travel trade business,” he said. “We're excited to be partnering with ROOST, Akwesasne Travel and Alon Tourism Solutions to shine a light on the opportunities we have to show travelers all over the world the special experiences our neck of the woods offers." The virtual information sessions for Adirondack region businesses, hosted in February and March, will include information about how to establish pricing, developing a summary of products and services, developing itineraries for travelers and establishing partnerships and packages with other local and regional venues. Each session will focus on a different aspect of developing a travel trade program. The first session focuses on program basics including how to develop a travel trade strategy, working with travel trade organizations to increase domestic and international travel packages and developing the processes required to sustain the program. Subsequent workshops will focus on building a strategy for travel-trade interaction, learning about requirements of package resellers, and developing a pricing structure that positions the venue to attract the desired markets and travelers. It will culminate with an opportunity to work directly with key travel trade operators, sharing information about packages that have been developed as a result of the workshop training. The travel trade activation training is supported by a grant awarded to New York State Travel Industry Association (NYSTIA) by New York State's Empire State Development and the I LOVE NY Division of Tourism under Governor Kathy Hochul's Regional Economic Development Council Initiative. The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism is the destination marketing and management organization for Hamilton and Essex counties, along with the communities of Lake Placid, Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake, all located within the Adirondacks in New York state. Contact:Jane Hooper, communications managerRegional Office of Sustainable Tourism518-621-3662518-578-6328 (cell)jane@auroraroostadk.com