BUILDING ON EXPERIENCE
Warren County Group Organizes to Save Summer By Don Lehman Director of Public Affairs for Warren County
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n May 2020, when the first phases of COVID-related business re-openings were beginning in upstate New York, a group of Warren County supervisors and business leaders came together for a Zoom meeting on a Monday afternoon to discuss how to salvage the upcoming summer tourism season. It was a daunting task in light of the uncertainty of a worldwide pandemic. Virtually every Monday since, what has become known as the Warren County Hospitality Communications Group has held a virtual meeting that regularly draws two dozen or so people, ranging from county legislators to amusement park management, motel owners to marketing professionals, chambers of commerce leaders to Warren County Tourism Department staff. Glens Falls public relations guru Mark Behan has put in hundreds of hours of pro bono work to lead the group. A year later, after a summer, fall and winter that were better business-wise than most expected, the meetings continue as the summer of 2021 presents new challenges. “We can’t say enough about the impact our Hospitality Communications Group has had in keeping our tourism sector open for business. They were able to provide guidance that soon became a best practice, and as a result of these privatepublic partnerships, Warren County is ready and waiting when the doors open for summer visitors,” said Rachel Seeber, Chairwoman of the Warren County Board of Supervisors. “That preparation played a significant role in making sure the most important season for our tourism economy went as well as possible.” Warren County is home to Lake George, so the summer brings in the lion’s share of an estimated $53 million a year in tourismrelated sales tax revenue and another $4 million in occupancy tax revenue. Tourism also supports jobs for about 25% of the county’s population. But as businesses reopened in spring 2020, the question emerged: How willing to travel would people be amid the uncertainty of the times? While some parts of the state saw large drops in visitor numbers, the Lake George region fared significantly better than expected. Sales tax and bed tax receipts both trended significantly higher than forecast.
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NYSAC News | Summer 2021
Many feared a 50% drop in bed tax receipts; instead, as 2020 payments finish up, the decrease amounted to 14%, which included several weeks of lockdown in March, April and May. With belt-tightening, Warren County’s general fund and occupancy tax fund balances grew in a year where many thought they would be depleted amid revenue freefall. “The Lake George region ended up with a far better 2020 tourism season than could possibly have been imagined,” Behan explained. The group worked together to determine that the Lake George Region needed consistent messaging about the adherence to COVID-19 guidelines and orchestrated a well-received sign/ banner campaign focusing on mask use and social distancing. The group also organized media events and discussed how best to use bed tax funds. “Collaboration, at some level, might well have gone on before, but the unprecedented risks posed by the pandemic required a new level of cooperation. It dramatically dismantled old silos,” Behan noted. “We needed a smart, careful, calibrated, integrated response and close coordination to execute it.” The Hospitality Communication Group’s work continued through the fall and winter, helping organize and promote safe activities, including a new “Lake George Winterfest” event. “In Warren County, our private and public sectors were united from the beginning in viewing COVID as both a serious public health challenge and a local economic opportunity. We took the virus – and strategies to mitigate it – seriously, and as a result we were able to promote ourselves as a safe destination,” said Warren County Administrator Ryan Moore. “Consequently, the Lake George region had a successful summer season in 2020 against all odds. Many people who had never been here before visited and found out what we’re about. We look forward to welcoming them back.” As another summer approaches, the Monday afternoon meetings continue, with attention turning to new issues like worker shortages resulting from stalled international worker programs. In fact, many in the group have advocated for permanency to keep the discussions going and the recovery building.