LAKE PLACID - The Board of Directors for the Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau has formally changed the organization's name to Regional Office Of Sustainable Tourism/Lake Placid CVB.  

The name change reflects the evolution of the organization by including its ongoing sustainable tourism initiatives, but there will be no change in the organization's body of work. The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism continues to offer sophisticated marketing programs to support the region's tourism businesses and to promote Lake Placid and Essex County's destinations.  

"As an accredited Destination Marketing Organization, our office remains the authority on tourism for Lake Placid and Essex County, and will continue to proactively promote the region's destinations," said Jennifer Webb, Chairperson, Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism board of directors.   

Sustainable tourism, in its purest sense, is an industry whose goal is to make a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate economic activity and employment without overtaxing any resources - whether human, environmental or man-made. The ultimate goal of sustainable tourism is to improve the quality of life for residents while facilitating destination planning and promoting the product to the traveling public.

"Following our accreditation as the Destination Marketing Organization for all of Essex County, the new name is the next progression of our organization," said James McKenna,  President. "The name 'visitors bureau' speaks to visitors, but our objective is to effect positive quality of life for the residents of Essex County through tourism.  ROOST better defines the core objectives of our programs and our local and regional organizational identity, and will clarify locally our primary role as working for the benefit of the residents of our destinations, while the Lake Placid CVB moniker allows us to maintain a consistent presence within the industry."

"Sustainable tourism is achieved by balancing the needs of visitors with those of the destination," said Craig Randall, Mayor of Lake Placid. "The concept of that balance is a perfect approach to effect responsible growth in Lake Placid, and crucial for our community's economic future."

Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism has been working through three key initiatives toward that goal of increasing year-round employment.

First, 2010 marks the launch of Lake Placid's marketing brand, complete with a toolkit for use by the community, designed to present a unified and distinct image of the region's flagship destination to the world.  

Second, ROOST is working cooperatively with ORDA in planning the sales of the new Conference Center at Lake Placid, which is an important component in welcoming year round activity, and will greatly enhance the existing infrastructure offered to the convention and meetings market.

Third and perhaps most important, the ongoing destination master plan process has reached a significant stage. Five communities; Moriah, Ticonderoga, Wilmington, Saranac Lake and North Elba/Lake Placid each now have a final plan, and tourism councils have been formed to implement the projects outlined for their respective communities. 

"Tourism is unquestionably a viable economic engine for our future," said Randy Douglas, chair of the Essex County Board of Supervisors.  "ROOST has recognized that in order to achieve economic success through tourism, promotion of the existing product must be balanced with sustainable growth. The new name reflects that concept."

ROOST is a 501c6 not-for-profit corporation that continues to promote the Schroon Lake, Lake Champlain, Whiteface, Saranac Lake and Lake Placid regions to the traveling public via traditional advertising, public relations, and by harnessing the power of electronic media. ROOST operates a main office in Lake Placid and one on Lake Champlain at Crown Point. For more information, contact ROOST Lake Placid at 518.523.2445 x111.

                       -ROOST-