A capital of sport and tourism

Lake Placid’s Olympic venues, as well as the non-Olympic sites of Gore Mountain and Belleayre Mountain, are central to its status as one of the USA’s winter sports capitals. They are managed by the New York Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), which oversees a wide-ranging, coordinated programme of activities at the venues, ensuring that they are put to optimal use and enjoyed all year round, and bringing significant economic benefits to the region.

The venues attracted 1.5 million visits in 2018/19 and generated a total of USD 156 million in visitor spending for the 12-month period, an increase of 11 per cent on 2017/18. Some 575,112 of those visits were to the Olympic Center and 47,353 to the Olympic Sports Complex. Meanwhile, 17,000 people used the Olympic Speed Skating Oval, a record for the venue, and Whiteface Mountain’s ski school gave 12,634 lessons, creating revenue of USD 1.042 million alone.

Between them, Whiteface, the Olympic Center, the Olympic Oval and Mount Van Hoevenberg hosted 30 events on 75 event days in 2018/19, plus over 55 training days. The athletes and fans attending these events, which included the FIL Luge World Cup, the FIS Freestyle World Cup, the Empire State Games and the IBSF Para Bobsleigh World Championships, generated USD 13 million in direct spending and USD 13.8 million in additional spending at hotels, restaurants and shops.

Visitors to the area can purchase an Olympic Sites Passport, which provides admission at a reduced rate to a number of Lake Placid’s Olympic venues. The passport covers a large number of activities and events.

In preparation for the 2023 Winter World University Games – to be hosted in Lake Placid – the New York government has committed to investing nearly USD 240 million in the venues, a recognition of the contribution they make to the state’s economy. This money will go towards the renovation of facilities such as the biathlon range and gondolas, ski jumps, the Speed Skating Oval and rinks, as well as the construction of a mountain lodge complete with a day lounge and rock climbing wall.

In an effort to remain competitive with other winter sports resorts and venues, ORDA maintains its venues to the highest standards, generating revenue streams to limit dependency on New York state subsidies. The development of summer activities, particularly recreational ones, is essential to achieving this objective. Several attractions simulate actual Olympic events, like the Cliffside Coaster, which follows the path of the 1980 bobsleigh track, and the Zipline, which is situated adjacent to the 90m ski jump. In the summer of 2018, for example, 290,000 people visited ORDA’s venues to take part in these activities.

ORDA also partners with hundreds of businesses across the state and supports numerous initiatives that promote tourism, helping to attract guests to hotels, restaurants and shops. It employs as many as 1,500 full- and part-time staff in peak season.

ORDA’s efforts to attract visitors to Lake Placid are complemented by those of the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST), which markets Lake Placid and the rest of the Adirondacks as a destination for visitors and new residents alike. In seeking to boost economic growth through tourism, the Lake Placid region offers a wide range of cultural, leisure and conference events and activities all year round.

The Lake Placid Conference Center, for example, is promoted as a meeting destination. In terms of the arts, the focus is to increase attendance at the events laid on at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, the Palace Theater and the Lake Placid Film Festival, while driving awareness of the region as a leading cultural destination. Other highlights include dining in Lake Placid, seasonal travel, outdoor recreation and the many events staged in the region, among them the Lake Placid Ironman, the Empire State Winter Games and the Lake Placid Horse Show.

Tourism is promoted with sustainability in mind, with the aim of reducing the impact of the continuing growth in hiker numbers and vacation rentals. Visitors are invited to follow “Leave No Trace” principles, respect local ecosystems and look out for invasive species.