Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism CEO Jim McKenna said the DMP, which looks as far as 2030, mainly deals with managing tourism to the benefit of the community. It’s more “inward-looking” than past DMPs, which mostly aimed to increase tourism here, according to the DMP’s executive summary.

“It’s not a tourism solicitation or marketing program,” McKenna said Monday, June 20. “It’s basically, how do you manage a successful tourism economy to the benefit of the community? That’s really what it is.”

The final plan has six primary objectives with detailed strategies for implementing those objectives.

Those objectives are to: 1. Diversify and Optimize the Local Economy; 2. Increase Long-term Resident Housing Diversity; 3. Address Environmental Sustainability Regionally; 4. Develop a Dedicated Event Management Strategy; 5. Align Industry Investments to Benefit Everyone; and 6. Engage All Local and Visitor Audiences.

Development of the DMP was led by West Vancouver-based consulting firm NextFactor, which specializes in travel and tourism-related plans. ROOST, the town and the village also coordinated to develop the plan. NextFactor Senior Vice President of Innovation Greg Oates, along with ROOST, is expected to attend Thursday’s meeting to present the DMP.

McKenna said ROOST started discussions with NextFactor about the plan in 2020. Results from an initial survey of local elected officials, community leaders and tourism industry stakeholders identified the region’s strengths and opportunities for improvement, and the study revealed challenges that people who live and work here face.

A steering committee — composed of local tourism officials, town and village officials, people associated with the region’s school districts, as well as local law enforcement, health care workers and other community members — was formed in 2021 and met a few times over the year to help guide the destination management planning process. The group helped establish priorities for goals and initiatives for the plan.

On the steering committee were: Donna Beal, Catherine Bemis, Haley Breen, Tom Broderick, Roger Catania, Tom Connors, Dean Dietrich, Lori Fitzgerald, Sylvia Getman, Brad Hathaway, Seth Jones, Jackie Kelly, MJ Lawrence, James Lemons, Lisa Lester, George Leveille, Emily Kilburn Politi, Butch Martin, James McKenna, Bill Moore, Mike Pratt, Ashley Walden and Brendan Wiltse.

The NextFactor team also conducted interviews with members of focus groups representing different sectors of the community to get their feedback.

Those groups included town and village officials and representatives in Accommodations; Arts, Culture & Heritage; Environmental Stewardship; Events & Festivals; Outdoor Recreation; ROOST staff members and Board of Directors; Shore Owners; and Sports Tourism.

Although the village’s online public notice for the meeting calls the plan a “draft,” McKenna said the plan is finalized.

The town and village boards don’t need to vote to approve the plan, according to North Elba town Supervisor Derek Doty — this week’s meeting is an informational session where the public and the town and village boards can ask Oates questions about the DMP.

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Key takeaways

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“After hundreds of hours of community engagement with local residents and business stakeholders,” the DMP states, “these key takeaways provided a structured approach to identify and prioritize actionable strategies.”

1. There is broad consensus that tourism is the main economic engine in the community and always will be, but more balance is needed.

2. Everyone agrees that diversifying the local economy is critical, but there isn’t a dedicated professional economic development organization in Lake Placid and North Elba to accomplish that.

3. Local expertise in sports medicine and human performance can help diversify the economy.

4. The average age of visitors and residents is continually increasing year-over-year.

5. Almost every conversation about the future of Lake Placid and North Elba, if taken far enough, ends up about the lack of housing diversity.

6. Age and housing diversity, economic and workforce development, transportation and mobility, quality of life, child/healthcare, and affordability are all related.

7. The past is over and the future is fluid.

8. An aligned, community-first approach is needed to develop a shared vision for the future.

9. Sustainability is regional.

10. There is a lack of a strong sense of community.

11. Event management is dividing the community.

12. There’s an opportunity to leverage best-in-class outdoor recreation.

13. Arts, culture, culinary and the rest of the local creative economy are an untapped resource.

14. Visitors spend more dollars on activities other than recreation.

15. There is a critical need for more data-driven visitor and resident communication.

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Broadening focus

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McKenna said a lot of destination marketing organizations have broadened their strict focus on destination marketing to include tourism management. That’s a shift ROOST has made in the last few years, he said, adding that the “management” aspect of destination plans like the one developed for the town and village places more focus on how tourism could be leveraged to help tackle community issues like the need for diverse long-term resident housing.

People can read the full 2030 Destination Management Plan on the ROOST website at tinyurl.com/mwmhb6sv.

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WATCH THE MEETING

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The public is invited to attend the Lake Placid and North Elba Destination Management Plan presentation virtually.

WHEN: 4 p.m. Thursday, June 23

MEETING LINK: https://meet.goto.com/348269285

CALL-IN NUMBER: 1-571-317-3112, code 348-269-285