Byway Designation
ANCA Launches 2009 Central Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway Marketing Project:
Communities and businesses will learn how to make the most of byway designation
January 6, 2009 – Community leaders and owners of businesses and attractions along the east-west travel corridor designated the Central Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway—which begins in the Rome area, traverses communities in Oneida, Herkimer, Hamilton, and Warren Counties, and terminates in the Glens Falls area—have a powerful, cost effective resource for economic development and community enhancement.
The Adirondack North County Association (ANCA) is launching its 2009 Scenic Byways Marketing Project to help stakeholders of the Central Adirondack Trail gain the most from the many benefits of the byway designation and its relationship to the New York State Scenic Byways program. While the Scenic Byway designation is mainly focused on the tourism economy, almost all businesses in byways communities benefit. ANCA encourages business owners, Chambers of Commerce and civic groups, tourism representatives, community planners, and local government officials to get involved.
On January 21, at the Old Forge/Arts Center on Route 28 in Old Forge from 10 am to 2:30 pm, the Central Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway will be the focus of the first of several workshops ANCA is offering throughout the region over the next several months. The workshop will be repeated on January 28 in North Creek, to ensure stakeholders in communities all along the touring route are able to participate.
The 153-mile Central Adirondack Trail’s designated route stretches from its western gateway in Rome, east along Routes 365 and 365/12 to Alder Creek where it continues through communities along Route 28 north to Blue Mountain Lake. There, Route 28 begins its southern and westward direction to Warrensburg, where the Trail changes to move south along Route 9 to its eastern gateway in Glens Falls.
At the January meetings, stakeholders will learn how the Central Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway program can positively impact economic and community development. They will take away strategies on how to best use their prestigious Central Adirondack Trail byway community label to better appeal to and connect with travelers, including those using bikeways and waterways. They will also have an opportunity to learn how to make the most of their byway designation.
The workshop will provide overviews of tourism trends, including outcomes of ANCA’s just completed Market Trend Assessment of Scenic Byway Visitors, that have positive potential for the Adirondack North Country region. Participants will learn the advantages of regional collaboration, branding, marketing techniques, and resource interpretation to establish and use the byway image to promote local and regional resources and attractions. Information on ANCA’s Scenic Byways Website, in development, will be provided. The objective is to empower communities and business owners to achieve marketing goals identified in the Central Adirondack Trail Scenic Byways Corridor Management Plan completed in 2006.
Susan Fuller, of Fuller Communications in Malone, NY will facilitate the sessions. Fuller facilitated similar Byways sessions for ANCA for the Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway and the Olympic Trail Scenic Byway in 2007-2008. Under contract with ANCA, Fuller will develop the marketing strategies, promotional materials, and web visibility that will build consumer awareness of byway communities in the North Country and Tug Hill Regions along the Central Adirondack Trail, and the Adirondack Trail and Olympic Scenic Byways. Terry Martino, ANCA Executive Director says, “We are pleased to have Susan Fuller help us achieve our commitment to help communities brand and market the Central Adirondack Trail Byway to ensure recognition by travelers and to present a quality touring experience. ANCA’s partnership with Ms. Fuller benefits from her strong background in tourism focused projects and community planning.”
For more than two decades, Fuller has worked with communities and tourism related businesses to develop long-range comprehensive marketing strategies and targeted campaigns. As the first Deputy Commissioner for the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing she helped build brand recognition and traveler awareness to increase numbers of tourist visits and lengths of stay. Her role in programs related to agri-tourism, specialty foods, and “tours and detours” encouraged travelers to move off Vermont’s interstates to visit communities, generating increased tourism revenue. As an independent business owner, Fuller’s clients have included B&Bs, restaurants, motels, and destinations.
ANCA’s 2008-2009 Scenic Byways Marketing and Interpretation Project is focusing on the people, places, and products found in the four counties of the Central Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway. “The marketing initiative will seek input from each byway community to ensure that all voices are heard,” according to Sharon O’Brien, ANCA Scenic Byways Coordinator. “ANCA wants to support communities by building promotional, web, and print campaigns that employ the byways’ brands and intrinsic qualities. The goal of this promotion is to help increase the number of visitors and amount of visitor spending in villages, towns, and cities that rely on tourism dollars.”
The project has been supported with funding from the NYSDOT’s Scenic Byway Program through the Federal Highway Administration and the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century.
The New York State Scenic Byways Program, created by the Legislature in 1992, fosters cooperative efforts between citizens, local groups, and local and state governments. The objective is to designate specific roadways for economic development and resource conservation. These scenic roadways feature natural, recreational, historical and cultural attractions that travelers, including visitors to New York State, residents of the state, and citizens of local communities can experience and enjoy.
Please RSVP for the January 21 meeting in Old Forge by January 15 and the Jan 28 meeting in North Creek by January 22. All interested parties are invited to contact Sharon O’Brien, ANCA’s Scenic Byway Coordinator to find out how to join the planning effort by calling 518-891-6200 or anca-obrien@northnet.org.
The Adirondack North Country Association is committed to economically viable communities and a rural quality of life. For more information about ANCA, visit www.adirondack.org or call 518-891-6200.