Growing Schroon Tourism? Residents Reap Rewards & Social Media Rules!
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Adirondack destination towns like Schroon have a bright future using social and online media -- as people turn to their smart phones to get information and make decisions on where to travel, sleep and eat, based on what they read.
That was one of the key themes in a speech given by James McKenna, the chief executive officer of the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) on ways destination marketing can draw visitors and tourism to drive demand to communities, making those towns better for full time residents. And he gave Schroon Lake a special shout out at succeeding on the latter.
McKenna was talking at the ROOST Annual Meeting and Winter Social held at the Whiteface Lodge Clubhouse last Monday evening. The Schroon Chamber of Commerce is a member of ROOST, a private, not-for-profit marketing outfit, responsible for the promotion of Essex County as a tourism destination through traditional marketing efforts, communication, and quality destination development.
“It's no secret that the days of 1-800 calls and brochures are starting to be less and less valuable. People want instant information and they want it right away and they want to look at other people’s experiences before making their decision to travel,” McKenna told the audience on the topic of tourism marketing.
He said potential visitors to the Adirondacks -- and there are 85 million people within a six hour drive -- look at other peoples’ experiences while they are making their own decisions.
“The global marketing power lies in everyone’s pockets. (referring to smart phones) That’s not an exaggeration.
“People are making decisions based on online experience based primarily on social media. It’s growing at a rapid rate and it’s going to continue. Traditional advertising has changed. It’s not that it doesn’t work, it’s just there are other ways to do it.”
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