By LOHR McKINSTRY
ELIZABETHTOWN — The draft 2010 marketing plan for Essex County acknowledges the Internet's increasing role in tourism.
The Lake Placid-Essex County Visitors Bureau uses about $1.4 million in annual county lodging-tax revenue to promote and market the county.
The bureau learned that in 2008 about 91 percent of visitors to the county researched their travel online.
Visitors Bureau Executive Vice President Carol Joannette said that gives them a whole new arsenal of marketing technology for their use.
"You need to make sure you're communicating on the front that reaches the people you want to communicate with. We're focusing more on Internet ads."
Marketing Director Kim Rielly is using Facebook, Twitter and other sites, Joannette said.
"Kim is doing social media like Twitter. We're doing contests online to increase peer-to-peer (contacts)."
The bureau also has an online reservation system that visitors can use.
People spent more in 2008 than 2007 while visiting the county — $452 a day on average versus $356 the year before. But Joannette said visitor spending declined this year.
"We would expect that to be diminished again (in 2010) with everything we know about the economy."
So they'll be more cautious in 2010 projections, she said.
"We see market indicators, but they're not projecting that travel will rebound. It won't be back to 2008 (levels)."
Joannette said the bureau wants to make sure it bases its plans on realistic and accurate information.
To that end, the Plattsburgh State College Technical Assistance Center surveyed about 31,000 visitors last year, getting about 2,600 responses. That became the Essex County Leisure Travel Information Study.
That's a good response rate, Joannette said, and it provides them with the information they need to draft a viable marketing plan.
"We have more solid plans of what we want to accomplish throughout the year."
Besides e-marketing and Web advertising, they're printing the Essex County Guide Book, which will also be available as an online download, and strengthening the Lake Placid brand for future marketing.
Joannette said they've never used much national marketing but have concentrated on the Interstate 87 market corridors leading to the New York City-New Jersey areas.
A recent study by Longwoods International of Toronto and New York City also suggested the Philadelphia, eastern Pennsylvania and Boston regions, so they may incorporate that into their marketing efforts, she said.
"We're a drive-to destination. We've always been very conservative (in marketing scope)."
E-mail Lohr McKinstry at: lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com
