The Rise of Tourism in the Thousand Islands
Waking up and walking outside your airbnb to feel the wind brush against your skin and hear the revving of boat engines passing by on the water is something natural to visitors of the Thousand Islands region.
The St Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands has been a hotspot for people all over the world. The beauty in the region has lots of history behind it all the way to the gilded age. Lots of wealthy people at the time went to the region to put up mansions on their islands, and some even constructed castles. The two castles that are still standing today are Boldt Castle and Singer Castle, these draw a lot of people into the Thousand Islands region. Along with that the Thousand Islands Bridge system was built which allows easy access into the country from Canada and it really Invites them to the United States.
When people visit the Thousand Islands there are a few ways that they like to spend their time and money. First they need a place to stay and food during their stay but after that entertainment is up to them. There are many options in the region such as boatlines, visiting the castles, or even just going to gift shops in towns such as Alexandria Bay and Clayton. There are plenty of opportunities to spend money which in turn leads to a large revenue that helps New York State.
According to Empire State Development there were 265.5 million visitors all over New York in 2019, these visitors also spent 73.6 billion dollars during their visits. Those numbers have slightly gone down over the past few years due to COVID but the region is still thriving.
Former manager of Boldt Castle and current Manager of Uncle Sam Boat Tours says “The numbers have been down the past few years and it was hard to retain those people with all the regulations we had to follow. This summer has shown that more people are coming back to the region and that there is even a new clientele with people wanting to buy and rent out waterfront properties, and right with that the boats will leave with more people off the dock.”
There are many possibilities in the area which is why there are so many visitors and so much revenue coming from the region. Through I Heart NY there are over 300 listed places to go and things to do all on the thousand islands region. This includes Boldt Castle, state parks, Uncle Sam Boat tours, and much more. The beauty of the Thousand Islands has been around for many years drawing a lot of attention and new people end up there every year bringing friends and family.
Seeing the glow as the sun starts to go beneath the horizon tells you the day is almost done and as your eyes shut getting ready for the next day you can hear the river washing up along the shore.