The Fourth of July weekend is an important economic boon for one of upstate New York’s most popular vacation destinations.
Michael Consuelo, Executive Director of the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce, said Thursday afternoon, if you want to drive into town on Route 9, you’ll be sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
“It’s very promising, a lot of folks on the street, Million Dollar Beach is pretty crowded. We’re getting ready for a very busy weekend and it seems like some folks have really taken advantage of this nice weather,” said Consuelo.
Consuelo said based on his recent conversations with chamber members, many of whom are hotel and property owners, it could be hard to find a place to stay in Lake George as visitors kick off the summer season. He said the numbers are looking good for the rest of July and August as well.
“In talking to those folks, it just looks like it’s going to be a very good summer for us, and very comparable to last year. And I think it’s just a plus that the holiday weekend is a true weekend – a Friday-Saturday-Sunday,” said Consuelo.
The Warren County Tourism Department has had its phones ringing all day, with many callers looking to find last-minute bookings, according to tourism specialist Joanne Conley.
“So there are three of us here that answer phones and we’ve all been on the phones non-stop this week and even today,” said Conley.
For those still looking for a place to stay, Conley recommends guests consider surrounding communities.
“There are a lot of little outlying communities that may still have availabilities. So just a few minutes from the lake itself you can go to Lake Luzerne or Warrensburg, maybe the Town of Bolton Landing which is a little bit north on the lake, or even up to the Town of Hague which is on the north end of the lake,” said Conley.
Elaine Chiovarou-Brown, director of the Bolton Landing Chamber of Commerce, said vacancies are disappearing rapidly.
“We’ve had quite a few people calling for accommodations and we only found two accommodations properties that had any vacancies and they were very limited, but everybody seems to be full for the weekend,” said Chiovarou-Brown.
All said perhaps the most important factor for a great summer season is the weather. While a chance of showers could threaten Friday, forecasts call for warm weather and sunshine. Although Hurricane Arthur could alter weekend plans elsewhere as it moves up the Atlantic coast, things appear relatively stable for the Lake George region.
Consuelo said gas prices also play a role in travel plans.
“Prices, gas might have inched up a little bit, but still you can get to Lake Geroge and the region on a tank of gas and be ready for everything we have to offer.”
Combined with a longer winter season that allowed for more skiing and snowmobiling, Consuelo said 2014 appears to be a banner year for tourism.
