Capitalizing on the Corridor

1000 Islands International Tourism Council

Capital Corridor Tourism Tax Revenue

County Local Taxes State Taxes Combined

Broome $ 16.3 $ 15.0 $ 31.3

Cortland $ 2.9 $ 2.7 $ 5.6

Onondaga $ 50.6 $ 46.5 $ 97.1

Oswego $ 6.2 $ 6.4 $ 12.6

Jefferson $ 13.5 $ 13.6 $ 27.1

Total $89.5 $ 84.2 $173.7

Tourism Tax BenefitsCounty Households Tax Benefit / Household

Broome 79,868 $ 392

Cortland 17,579 $ 320

Onondaga 182,420 $ 533

Oswego 46,298 $ 272

Jefferson 44,044 $ 614

Tourism Market SpendingOntario Other CA USA Overseas Total Ontario

Other CA USA Overseas

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% 8%

Leeds-Grenville County

$92,727 $13,573 $60,924 $5,960 $173,184 54% 8% 35% 3%

$784,969 $342,604 $241,887 $248,606 $1,618,066 49% 21% 15% 15%

Niche MarketsDestinations 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.

Example Niche MarketsRecreational

Fishing, boating, snowmobilingHeritage

Military, MaritimeSeasonal Homes & SnowbirdsVFR: Military and CollegeMore . . . Agri-tourism, wine, sports . . .

RecreationThe 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

Recreation: FishingFishing is a mature recreation

activity1/3 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?

Recreation: ATV & SnowmobilesMotorized 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?

Military HeritageThe 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?

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?

SnowbirdsHeading south, returning north

Over 40% of Florida snowbirds are from the Northeast USA or Canada

Travel south in fall and north in springWhat is the opportunity to intercept

“on route” during May & October?

MonthJAN

SnowbirdsIn FL

79

SunbirdsOut FL

10.9FEB 81.1 12

MAR 79.6 10.9APR 61.7 13MAY 23.1 25

JUN 7.5 43.6JUL 7.8 55.1

AUG 6.9 54SEP 7.8 37OCT 23.1 21NOV 47 13DEC 55.1 13.3

Tourism: Military VFRFort 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?

Corridor Related Tourism TrendsCross border travel patterns have

changedDriving vacations are upTourism is value driven – with lower

average spending

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.

Cross – border post WHTIHow can Ontario re-

capture its American Market?

How will New York capitalize on renewed Canadian interest?

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?

Capitalizing on the Corridor

1000 Islands International Tourism Council