1. Tourism Trends & Themes
Capitalizing on the Corridor
1000 Islands International Tourism Council

2. Capital Corridor Tourism Tax Revenue
County
Local Taxes
State Taxes
Combined
Broome $ $ $
Cortland $ $ $
Onondaga $ $ $
Oswego $ $ $
Jefferson $ $ $
Total
$89.5
$ 84.2
$173.7

3. Tax Benefit / Household
Tourism Tax Benefits
County
Households
Tax Benefit / Household
Broome
79,868 $
Cortland
17,579 $
Onondaga
182,420 $
Oswego
46,298 $
Jefferson
44,044 $

4. Tourism Market Spending
Ontario
Other CA
USA
Overseas
Total
Ottawa Region
$511,607
$309,044
$140,857
$222,514
$1,184,023
43%
26%
12%
19%
Frontenac County
$180,635
$19,987
$40,106
$20,131
$260,859
69% 8%
15%
Leeds-Grenville County
$92,727
$13,573
$60,924
$5,960
$173,184
54%
35% 3%
$784,969
$342,604
$241,887
$248,606
$1,618,066
49%
21%

5. Niche Markets
Destinations increasingly need to appeal to travelers based on specialized interests and audiences.
In today’s economy, destinations need to focus on value – representing a balance of experience, expense, and quality.
Corridors provide opportunities to organize critical mass “products” and value driven offerings.

6. Example Niche Markets Recreational Fishing, boating, snowmobiling
Heritage
Military, Maritime
Seasonal Homes & Snowbirds
VFR: Military and College
More Agri-tourism, wine, sports . . .

7. Recreation The recreational corridor
I-81 provides a corridor of access to recreational activity in Northern New York and Eastern Ontario
Activities include mature products such as fishing, boating and snowmobiling
Opportunities also exist in specialized niche and growth areas

8. Recreation: Fishing Fishing is a mature recreation activity
1/3 of all New York out-of-state fishing licenses are sold in the 1000 Islands – Seaway Region
How can the Corridor better promote its world-class fishing destinations?

9. Recreation: ATV & Snowmobiles
Motorized trail sports – ATV & Snowmobile
Tug Hill (Oswego, Lewis, Jefferson, Oneida Counties)
Haliburton & Mattawa (northwest of Kingston)
Poconos (outside of Scranton)
Can motorized trail sports be better “moneitzed” along the Capital Corridor?

10. Military Heritage
The Capital Corridor has numerous military heritage sites.
War of 1812 Bicentennial connections from Maryland to Ontario (Forts McHenry to Henry).
Can stalled initiatives be re-invigorated in New York?

11. Vacation Homes
The waterfront and recreational open land areas along the Capital Corridor attract many vacation home owners.
Vacation home owners use the transportation system either as weekend commuters or for seasonal migration.
What synergies exist along the Corridor to maximize the value of these seasonal residents?

12. Snowbirds Heading south, returning north
Month
JAN
Snowbirds
In FL 79
Sunbirds
Out FL
10.9
FEB
81.1 12
MAR
79.6
APR
61.7 13
MAY
23.1 25
JUN
7.5
43.6
JUL
7.8
55.1
AUG
6.9 54
SEP 37
OCT 21
NOV 47
DEC
13.3
Heading south, returning north
Over 40% of Florida snowbirds are from the Northeast USA or Canada
Travel south in fall and north in spring
What is the opportunity to intercept “on route” during May & October?

13. Tourism: Military VFR
Fort Drum growth has created new opportunities to attract visiting friends and relatives to the region
With a payroll of $1.124 billion, the Fort is the major economic engine for Jefferson County.
How will communities along the corridor coordinate effort to develop a strong VFR market?

14. Corridor Related Tourism Trends
Cross border travel patterns have changed
Driving vacations are up
Tourism is value driven – with lower average spending

15. Trend: Shop & Stay
During the 2000’s cross-border traffic has gone from 50/50 US to Canada to 1/3 Americans and 2/3 Canadians.

16. Cross – border post WHTI
How can Ontario re-capture its American Market?
How will New York capitalize on renewed Canadian interest?

17. Trend: More vacations by car
AAA says: Trips by auto are expected to increase in popularity with 87 percent or 28.0 million people reaching their destination by driving. This is an increase of 5.8 percent from last Memorial Day when 26.4 million travelers went by motor vehicle.
How prepared are we to service and market to on-the-road travelers?

18. Tourism Trends & Themes
Capitalizing on the Corridor
1000 Islands International Tourism Council