Lake George businesses brace for summer tourism slump

Even if visitors come, will there be enough workers to staff seasonal businesses?

By Kelsey Brown, Times Union Staff Writer

Shuttered souvenir shops filled with beach gear and Lake George-branded merchandise await, fully stocked and pristine, for the summer tourism season to begin. 

All 10 stores at the Village Mall were closed this week — eight fully stocked with lights out, two with “for rent” signs displayed in the window. The parking lots of dozens of hotels — from known chains like Best Western to boutique stays like the Tiki Resort — were empty on Tuesday. 

This small Adirondack village has for generations relied on summer tourism to buoy its local economy. Despite years of work by elected officials and tourism leaders to attract visitors to Lake George year-round and further diversify its economy, many business owners’ livelihoods still depend on the uptick in foot traffic from second homeowners, campers and day visitors from the Capital Region, the Canadian province of Quebec and elsewhere in the summertime.

But as the busy season approaches, business owners and community leaders in Lake George worry that dwindling consumer confidence, the Trump administration’s aggressive approach on immigration and a souring trade relationship between Canada and the U.S. could combine into a perfect storm that will keep both seasonal workers and visitors away.

This uncertainty comes at a time when leaders in Lake George are looking to transform the village with $10 million in state Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding and by identifying sites for redevelopment, such as the former Water Slide World site, to spur future growth.

‘Everybody’s worried’

The difference between the summer season and off-season is like night and day, said business owners in Lake George. Staying open in winter loses money, with most revenue coming from the influx of tourists during the summer months. 

Rocco Mastrantoni’s family business Capri’s Pizzeria + Restaurant has been open year-round for 54 years. He estimated that 70% of his annual revenue comes from the summer months. But this year, Mastrantoni said that there’s fear about the season’s profitability. 

Business owners are concerned that a declining economy could lead to less disposable income to travel and a decline in tourism, particularly from Canada — which is only a few hours from Lake George — while also subjecting business owners and consumers to volatile price fluctuations.

“Everybody’s worried,” Mastrantoni said. “Nobody knows what to expect. And that’s the worst part. You don’t know what’s coming.” 

While Mastrantoni is used to navigating cost fluctuations in products like cheese, which he said can increase or decrease by 10 to 20 cents per week, lately the price is only increasing. Most of the inventory he purchases, he said, comes from China — everything from pizza boxes to mushrooms.

For Iggy Rovetto, owner of Pizza Jerks, staying open in winter means losing money. The Lake George Winter Carnival, which for over 60 years has drawn crowds for its polar plunge, ice racing and glacier golf events, offers what Rovetto called a “nice shot in the arm” for four to five weeks during Lake George’s slow season. 

But the festival’s success is heavily dependent on the weather — and as an effect of climate change, winters are expected to continue warming in the Adirondacks each year, shortening the winter season from an average of 16 to 17 weeks to as little as 11 weeks by 2100, according to a 2022 study by Paul Smith’s College scientists. In past years, Rovetto said, people have complained about the lack of snow and ice decreasing the traffic for the annual event. 

“This year, we had it all,” Rovetto said. “We had the snow. We had the frozen lake — and it wasn’t busy. But that’s the economy.” 

Rovetto said that it’s tricky staying open during the winter and that there’s “no magic bullet.” He limits labor and reduces garbage pickups from twice a week to once a week. But still, Rovetto said running the lights and ovens for few customers means “all winter long you lose money.” 

Canadian tourism, seasonal labor

Though the warmer season provides vigor for the businesses after a quiet winter, Rovetto said now business owners are facing a new challenge. 

“This year, I’m concerned about it being slow for two factors: the economy and Trump pissing off the Canadians,” Rovetto said. “They’re going to boycott.” 

With Lake George located about three hours south of Montreal, Rovetto said, Canadian tourists have been a constant of the summer season — he estimates that they make up a little more than 10% of his summer customers. 

Some business owners like John Carr, who has owned the Adirondack Pub & Brewery for 25 years, don’t see a tremendous influx of Canadian customers during the summer months. But Mastrantoni remembers when he used to sit down at the end of the day and count Canadian money.

“I don’t even see them now — no Canadian money,” Mastrantoni said. “(Former Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau is not happy. He’s telling them not to come down here. We’ve lost the Canadians.”

Mastrantoni explained that the tourist town is also experiencing a decline in out-of-country visitors from workers on exchange visitor visas who help supplement the seasonal labor. The nonimmigrant visas, known as J-visas, allow individuals to travel to the United States to participate in exchange visitor programs. 

But this year, Mastrantoni said many of the workers aren’t returning.

“I’ve already had two kids that used to come in and work from Jamaica — they’re not coming,” he said.

An employee for Mastrantoni chimed in that many are concerned about the inflated prices of living in a tourist destination like Lake George. Mastrantoni explained that his main workers stay year-round, while he typically hires at least two workers on a J-visa for the busy season. 

“Americans won’t do the work that they do,” Mastrantoni said.

“It’s the truth — there’s stuff that Americans won’t do,” he added. “Then they get upset when these other people come and are willing to do it.” 

While Gina Mintzer of the Lake George Chamber of Commerce didn’t have access to precise data on the number of international visitors who visit the town during the summer, she said there’s been a noticeable shift.

Visits by Canadian users to the chamber’s website are down 24%, she said. Campgrounds typically visited by Canadian visitors are not booked, she added. Some tour operators have also canceled U.S. trips and asked the Chamber of Commerce to stop emailing alerts of events happening in Lake George, according to Mintzer.

“What we’re doing to pivot — just like we did in the midst of COVID — is really relying on that 70-mile radius of Manhattan, as well as the Capital Region. Reminding people that we’re a tank away,” Mintzer said.

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The future of Lake George

Former Lake George Mayor Bob Blais proposed at the April 14 Town Board meeting that the town purchase the former Water Slide World site, a 12-acre parcel of land located off exit 21 of the Northway, to create a development that would increase year-round traffic and act as a “catalyst for the future of Lake George.” 

“Whatever happens on that corner is going to be extremely important for the future of the entire community,” Blais said. “And perhaps, could be for the region, as was Water Slide World when they first developed it there.” 

The property is currently owned by real estate developer Rich Schemerhorn, who acquired the land for $3 million in 2022 and cleared the property in 2024, as reported by the Albany Business Review. In February, Schermerhorn put the parcel of land on the market for $5.9 million.

Blais suggested that the town conduct a survey to see what the residents of the town think could be an economic driver to the area, listing a cultural center, a convention center, a performing arts center and an athletic facility as potential options. 

“People that are investing in Lake George now are having a hard time with the length of the season making ends meet,” Blais said. “We need to give them an opportunity to fill their rooms, pump their gas and sell their shirts in the downtown area for many more weeks.” 

Carr, the owner of Adirondack Pub & Brewery, estimated that he does around 65% of his business in the three busy months of the season. Carr said that he doesn’t know if the town should invest public resources into purchasing the land, but if they do, there should be substantial studies to back up the investment. 

Carr encouraged diversifying how Lake George is marketed, besides its obvious selling point, the lake. He mentioned the town’s hiking trails, the nearby city of Glens Falls, and surrounding mountain biking and skiing trails as drivers to the area. 

“That’s not a big investment to change that paradigm,” Carr said. “It’s just lots of little changes in how we view ourselves.” 

Photo at top: The waters of Lake George are seen from Shepard’s Park Beach in Lake George. Will Waldron/Times Union