COLLINS LANDING, New York (WWNY) – Despite limited cross-border traffic this year, optimism is high for Thousand Islands tourism.
That’s the main takeaway from the annual survey of New York and Ontario tourism operators by the 1000 Islands International Tourism Council.
More than 175 operators gave high marks to their own business and the overall regional performance.
That includes Leslie Rowland at the Thousand Islands Arts Center in Clayton.
“We had a great season this year, far better than 2020. People were very eager to get back to some sense of normalcy,” said Rowland.
Those on the U.S. side were more positive than their Canadian counterparts, 78 percent compared with 39 percent.
“For most tourism operators, 2021 was a rebounding year, and in some cases, surpassed pre‐pandemic business,” said Corey Fram, the council’s director of tourism.
The most favorable reviews came from the camping, retail, and agritourism/craft beverage sectors.
Eighty-four percent overall reported optimism for the future of the region’s tourism economy.
“Tourism in the 1000 Islands region has been at the front of the recovery due to myriad of factors that make this destination desirable following the outbreak of COVID-19,” Fram said. “It’s a testament to their hospitality that our operators delivered great service to high demand while dealing with many challenges.”
Just 18 percent of businesses reported disappointment for 2021 compared to nearly half of 2020 responders at 46 percent.
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