Hiking is the number one draw for tourists who visit Essex County, followed by canoeing, fishing and skiing, a study by the Lake Placid based Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism has found.

And promoting those attractions in 2012 will take place more and more online, as social media and web based advertising and marketing replaces traditional outlets such as newspapers and magazines, according to Kimberly Rielly, from Sustainable Tourism. The group estimates that the $1.3 million the county spent on advertising last year brought in a whooping $89 million in tourism dollars.

A story in the Press Republican has all the details about how Essex County intends to market our slice of the ADKs – and it’s all about a location specific approach.

Schroon Lake gets a shout out from Sustainable Tourism Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Carol Joannette who uses our neck of the woods to illustrate how each area’s website works, using the example of hiking.

"If you were going to stay in Schoon Lake, what hikes would you take? If you stay in Lake Placid, you won't go to hike in Schroon Lake, so only those hikes are displayed. If anyone searches for a specific hike, they'll find the region they're looking for.

What would you do to promote tourism here in Schroon? Tell us about it in comments.