A few weeks ago, 2,000 cyclists from Quebec blessed the North Country with their presence. Just as they left, more than 300 people enjoyed a Summer Wine Tour inaugural weekend at our local vineyards and wineries. The following weekend, the FLW tour came to town to enjoy world-class bass fishing once again.
Clearly, others are taking note of the North Country. Hotels continue to be built and Michele Powers of the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce notes that hotel rooms have been booked solid for much of the summer. What does this mean for us and how do we best capitalize on this recognition to generate jobs in the North Country?
In a recent e-newsletter with The Development Corporation's Institute for Development and Economic Analysis (IDEA), I documented the surprisingly high number of jobs a season of fishing tournaments or even a weekend of cyclists can add to our local economy. You can find the full report, and other useful statistics and monthly economic analyses, at www.tdcidea.com.
This weekend, bass-fishing competitors are once again enjoying Lake Champlain and invigorating our local visitor industry. Last year, 1,564 anglers competed in six tournaments. The local spending from these tournament weekends alone generated the equivalent of 42.5 visitor industry jobs at our campgrounds and in our hotels, at our restaurants and bars, in our marinas and gas stations, in the vendors and from the income of the employees engaged in these sectors. In addition, these anglers came at other times of the season to scout out the region, and many are likely to return in the future.
Even an event for a single weekend can have a significant effect. Velo Quebec's 2,000 cyclists, 250 support staff, and family and friends took in our natural and national history while they spent their money at our restaurants, bars, hotels and campgrounds. Afterward, 80 percent indicated they would likely come again.
While many of these cyclists enjoyed the beauty of the Clinton Community College campus each evening, many also stayed at local hotels. Let us explore the local effect of an event in which 250 rooms are rented for the weekend at local hotels.
A modest high-season room rate of $100 per night for 250 cyclists and family over the weekend would generate $50,000. National data indicates that, for every dollar spent on accommodations, another $0.97 is spent on food and drink, $0.67 on entertainment and recreation, and $0.91 on shopping. In other words, for every dollar spent on accommodations, another $2.55 is spent on other local sectors.
In other words, from 250 room rentals over a weekend, there is a total spending of $176,500. However, this is just the direct spending. Local vendors that supply the accommodations, food and drink, entertainment, and retail sectors also benefit indirectly. And, those who earn an income from these sectors and vendors spend a share of their income locally, too, generating even more jobs.
Once these indirect and induced jobs are tallied, one such 250-room event generates the equivalent of 3.1 full-time year-round jobs, $80,587 in labor income, and $125,613 in Clinton County value-added income. Regular, hopefully even weekly, events of even this modest size can generate a real shot in the arm for the local visitor industry, and can contribute to both the economic and the cultural diversity of our fair city.
And, while sustaining such tours year in and year out promises to continue to generate these jobs, there is an additional multiplier that is significant, even if it will take time to bear fruit. These thousands of visitors that come, for cycling, for fishing, or for local wineries and vineyards, are much more likely to come again for other events or for their discretionary vacations. They will also tell their family and friends about their discoveries in our region.
Of course, while the benefits to the community are potentially substantial, there are some costs or changes we must all absorb. The economic and cultural diversity we receive also requires us to embrace change. It is all too easy to maintain our region just like it was, with the people we have always known, the habits we have long since accommodated, and the jobs we have long since done. However, with change we need to be willing to look at what we do, or the services we provide, from a fresh perspective. We must also be willing to share our region with people we do not know, who speak differently than we do, and who may have different sensibilities, in our restaurants and stores, even on our roads. These peculiarities are not bad just because they are different. If we want to share our region in all its beauty with others, we must be willing to take the best with the rest.
We might choose to reject the opportunity to share our region with others or we can embrace our opportunity and put a big welcome sign on our community. To do the former, though, is to ensure our community withers on the vine. That might work for some of us, but it will not be good for our children. Ultimately, while the major new and renewed visitor events attest to the amenities and beauty of this region, they offer our economy even greater diversification that complements our strong manufacturing, education and supply-chain foundations. This goodwill will put Clinton County on the map as an excellent destination on the beautiful Adirondack Coast.
Most importantly, we can diversify our local economy so that our children will be as fortunate to live here as we have been. That is the true test of intergenerational equity.
What I wish they'd said: Those who used "Speakout" to complain about visitors. "I realize that people do the darndest things. However, to somehow associate bad driving with out-of-state license plates, or unusual behavior with a different accent, may say more about our need to classify individuals than their true behavior among the entire range of human behavior. If we can put our biases aside, we should recognize that one of the best things we in the North Country can do is share our bounty with others. It is good for them, and it is good for us. In the process, we create jobs for ourselves and livelihoods for our children. And, sharing of the local beauty makes the world a better place. Thank you Quebec. We appreciate your patronage, as we welcome others that share an appreciation for our mountains and lake, history and amenities."
Colin Read is a professor of economics and finance and former dean of the School of Business and Economics at SUNY Plattsburgh. His sixth book, "The BP Spill — A Bigger Picture," will be published by MacMillan Palgrave early next year. He also runs an economic and business consulting company and can be reached through his website www.economicinsights.net.
