Oneida County sees tourism grow
Spending up from pre-pandemic numbers
The majesty of the Adirondack mountains and the sandy shores of Lake Oneida. Sporting events at the Utica University Nexus Center and touring Broadway productions at the historic Stanley Theatre.
Farm-fresh produce and trees ablaze with brilliant foliage in the fall. Gaming, golfing, spa treatments and more at Turning Stone Resort & Casino. Renowned collections at Munson and restaurants galore to satisfy every taste.
There’s plenty to love about Oneida County, and Oneida County Tourism wants people to know it.
Sarah Foster Calero became Oneida County Tourism president last July, but she has spent her entire professional career, about 13 years, working for the agency in various capacities including marketing and sales.
Calero never initially planned to stick around, thinking she would work for the agency for a few years and then move to New York City with her friends, but found that Oneida County is a place worth calling home.
“I was born and raised in Vernon, so I am an Oneida County girl from the time I was born,” Calero said. “You’re so used to hearing when you’re younger – I think it’s shifting now – but you hear, ‘You have to get out of the area. If you want to do something, you have to leave.’ I feel very fortunate that I’ve been able to travel a lot when I was younger and in my adult life, and I’m not kidding, I’m always so grateful to come back home.”
Lisa Santina Wilsey, executive director of the Stanley Theatre and secretary of the executive committee of Oneida County Tourism, is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. When she moved to the Mohawk Valley about 10 years ago, she, too, was glad to make a home here.
“It is different, sure, but I also love the pace here,” Wilsey said. “I love the countryside here. I love that we have land. You know, sometimes you don’t appreciate what you have until you leave. Well, I left and learned to appreciate where I went.”
Tourism by the numbers
As the world continues to open back up post-coronavirus pandemic and investments are made in attractions like Turning Stone and the Utica University Nexus Center, which opened in late 2022, tourism is growing in Oneida County.
New York state releases tourism data from the previous year in the fall; according to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 2022 Economic Impact of Visitors report completed by Tourism Economics, New York State welcomed a record 291.5 million visitors in 2022, the largest number of visitors in New York State’s history, generating more than $78.6 billion in direct spending and $123 billion in total economic impact.
According to the report, Oneida County represented 75% of Central New York’s tourism sales, with $3.5 billion in direct tourism spending.
Relative to 2019, traveler spending was up 30% in Oneida County at 214% of 2019 levels – the highest of any county in the state.
While the state will not release its report on 2023 tourism economics for some months, Oneida County Tourism is able to track hotel room occupancy rates using Smith Travel Research (STR) data. Calero said the agency is able to generate monthly STR reports, dating back to 2018.
According to the STR data, occupancy increased from 58.58% in 2022 to 60.29% in 2023. The average daily rate (ADR) increased from $129.54 in 2022 to $131.58 in 2023, whereas the ADR in 2019 was $113.20.
“One of the best ways to get a sense of how those numbers are is for us to look at 2019, pre-pandemic,” Calero said. “2019 was a strong year, and that [occupancy] number was 58.23%. So we were actually higher from 2022 on than in 2019.”
Driving, visiting, staying
Calero said that Oneida County has a higher percentage of in-state visitors than out of state, with Albany, Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, Watertown, Binghamton and even New York City being the county’s top tourism markets.
With no public airport, visitors generally have to drive to visit Oneida County, and Calero cited that as a benefit – during the pandemic, visitors who wanted to get away generally felt safer traveling by car than by plane.
“I feel that the way that we were in Oneida County, people just felt a sense of security,” Calero said. “And also we’re the base of the Adirondack Mountains. We know that that’s a really popular destination too, especially for that outdoor, nature experience.”
“So people felt like okay, I can come into somewhere in Oneida County and get a different experience than I would maybe be used to or that maybe they used to seek out, and realize, ‘Wow, this is amazing. I feel like I actually slowed down a little bit and I’m appreciating what I’m doing.’”
Calero said during this time frame, Oneida County Tourism noticed a trend of folks not only visiting from downstate, but buying properties and putting down roots.
Francis Pezzolanella owns three restaurants in Utica – Ocean Blue Restaurant & Oyster Bar, Nostro Restobar & Lounge, and Rick’s Famous Juicy Burgers. He grew up in Utica, and although he moved away to Boston as a young adult, he moved back to the city over 10 years ago.
Pezzolanella spoke to the importance of tourism to growth in the region.
“We need tourism so that the people that visit here can see what Central New York has to offer, what a rich area we are,” Pezzolanella said. “And then maybe people decide that they want to put down some roots here, and see that you can create a thriving business, and you can have a family, and you can be in a place that’s centrally located. Tourism is important to grow this area. We need people to come and visit here and say, ‘Hey, maybe I want to make a change and move here.’”
Wilsey also referenced the relationship between regional growth and tourism.
“I think we’re in a really key time in just the development of new jobs and industry in the region,” Wilsey said. “And hopefully we’ll have more population retention with that, where people won’t feel like they have to move away to find a job, and they can enjoy the riches of where we come from. And then for tourism, I just think sometimes people come here and, like me, they never leave.”
Dinner and a show
Wilsey said that the Stanley Theatre pulls data on where patrons are coming from, and finds that many theatergoers are visiting from Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Binghamton and even New York City. An evening at the Stanley is an opportunity to see a touring Broadway production, a concert, children’s shows and more without breaking the bank.
Wilsey said that sometimes they have programming at the Stanley that isn’t available anywhere else in New York – for example, last February, the Russian ballet came to only Utica – and the theater leverages those opportunities.
“We capitalized on marketing that throughout all of New York, and even Toronto, and we got visitors coming,” Wilsey said. “We know where they’re coming from because of their zip code, and they live too far away, so they have to spend the night. And now they’re in our hotels, and they’re taking some time to have a meal, and all of that residual sales tax stays here with our community when that person leaves. And that, for us, is the win-win.”
Pezzolanella vouched for the fact that productions at the Stanley pair with increased business at his restaurants, with visitors making an evening of it.
“I can tell you that every night there’s a show, it’s a hectic night,” Pezzolanella said. “The shows definitely do not hurt business. A show night is always good, whether it’s Ocean Blue or Nostro.”
Oneida Indian Nation investments
Calero said Turning Stone and all the investments that the Oneida Indian Nation has made in the county have been major contributors to tourism.
In August of 2023, the Oneida Indian Nation released a report from Oxford Economics indicating that the nation’s enterprises generate more than $1 billion in economic impact in upstate New York.
“We don’t find that surprising because they are constantly investing, innovating, coming up with new ideas, but it really confirmed that they’re an economic engine in upstate New York, Central New York,” Calero said.
Turning Stone offers entertainment, leisure, gaming, meeting space and plenty of amenities which attract tourists and other visitors.
The Oneida Indian Nation opened its first cannabis operation, across the street from Turning Stone, in January, and opened a new nightclub called NY Rec & Social Club to Turning Stone’s offerings in December. Nation officials also announced plans this year for the largest expansion of the resort and casino to date.
Even beyond Turning Stone, Oneida Indian Nation officials plan to expand Point Place Casino in Bridgeport this year, doubling the size of the gaming floor and adding a hotel and dining options.
Calero also said the Oneida Indian Nation’s investments in Sylvan Beach have helped transform the village into an attractive tourist destination. These investments include unveiling the Lake House, a casino and entertainment venue, in 2020, and opening the Cove, a vacation rental property featuring dozens of lakeside cottages, in 2022.
“It really is a super unique community where you can go in, you can stay there, you don’t have to worry about driving, and you get that old-fashioned American small-town charm,” Calero said. “So I think with Turning Stone investing with the Lake House, and then definitely the Cove now, they have new accommodations that are available. And I think that’s really been well received by the Sylvan Beach community, and knowing that again, with [the Oneida Indian Nation’s] promotions and what they’re able to do, it has that impact on all the surrounding areas.”
In a February statement regarding the plans to expand Turning Stone, Oneida Indian Nation Representative and Turning Stone Enterprises CEO Ray Halbritter reaffirmed the Oneida Indian Nation’s commitment to its investments.
“Constant reinvestment and strong partnerships have been the foundations to our success,” Halbritter said in the statement. “With the evolution of Turning Stone Resort Casino ahead, we are excited to continue growing these investments and partnerships for the benefit of the Oneida people, our workforce and the region as a whole.”