LAKE PLACID — Despite concerns about the economic cost of a dip in Canadian visitors, Lake Placid businesses are reporting a successful tourism season on-par with the average.

At last week’s village board meeting, Trustee Marc Galvin, who is also the president of the Lake Placid Business Association, said the general consensus he’s heard from business owners was that it was a normal summer.

“Most businesses reported a normal summer, not like COVID sales summer,” he said. “Not a lot of complaints there.”

This is supported by the most recent tourism data monitored by the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism, the Essex County destination marketing organization. ROOST receives tourism data from a number of different reports, in addition to their in-house marketing numbers.

ROOST Chief Operating Officer Mary Jane Lawrence said last week that the latest Smith Travel Report indicates that the area is trending a little bit ahead of last summer. Hotel occupancy rates were higher than last summer for both July and August, she said.

“Overall, in sight of everything that’s going on globally, elsewhere, we’re sitting pretty strong,” she said.

The relatively normal summer is a relief for business owners and to the broader tourism industry, after a slow start to the season in the spring.

That said, Canadian business is undoubtedly down. At a roundtable hosted by North Country Public Radio and WAMC earlier this month, North Country Chamber of Commerce President Garry Douglas reported that car crossings at the Canadian border near Plattsburgh are down 32%.

The available data on Canadian visitors seems to be supported by anecdotal evidence around Main Street. Kenny Boettger, founder of Placid Planet Bicycles, said while his summer business was on-par with their normal, they missed the Canadian traffic.

Boettger said he has plenty of Canadian friends and acquaintances. He said the Canadians who are still coming to the area are doing so simply because they like it here. Others are feeling uncertain and wonder if it’s safe to cross the border.

“The news that they’re seeing up there looks like it’s a lot more dire, that going to the U.S. is dangerous, which is kind of weird to think of,” he said.

With Canadian tourism down, other visitors seem to be making up the difference. Galvin said that, anecdotally, there seemed to be more people coming from downstate and around the New England area.

ROOST, for its part, has been intentionally expanding their marketing efforts to new demographics. This includes higher income demographics, who tend to be less impacted by economic fluctuations and insecurity.

Lawrence said travelers continue to be wary of flying and traveling abroad, in some cases. The Adirondacks can also be a relatively affordable destination that lends itself to short stays and activities with a low barrier to entry.

“Sometimes all of those things work to our advantage as a ‘drive-to destination,'” she said. “Walking in the woods is still free, thank God. Fresh Adirondack air is still very healthy and very free.”

Lawrence is optimistic about the fall and winter season, saying she expects people will still seek out drive-to destinations where they can be in more control of their travel experience. She said the Adirondacks, with its sometimes spotty cell service, can be a place to disconnect and refresh in more ways than one.

“That’s the message — there’s a little slice of peace here,” Lawrence said. “Come enjoy it.”