PLATTSBURGH -- Soaring gas prices haven't discouraged our neighbors to the north from visiting.

Data collected by the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce in its 2009 Tourism Marketing Plan Review indicates an increase of more than 2,000 cars entering the United States from Canada last year.

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Michele Powers, the chamber's vice president of marketing, presented the findings Wednesday evening at the Clinton County Legislature's Finance Committee meeting.

"There are more people coming here, which is phenomenal for the businesses in this area," she said.

The border at Lacolle, Quebec, is the only major crossing in the country that's seen an increase of people coming into the United States, Powers noted.

CHAMBER WEB SITE

Other numbers are on the rise, too, including the hits on the chamber's recently updated tourism Web site, which is up 30 percent over last year. Page views also increased by 20 percent.

"The site is now a major resource for those looking to find out about the area," Powers said.

More than half of the Web site's traffic came from Canada.

Another marketing technique that attracted visitors from across the border was reinforcing the idea of the region's close proximity to Montreal, a term Powers coined as "staycation," which she said was "a key driver for Canadians."

REACHING OUT

Although Canadian travelers account for a large portion of the region's tourism, the chamber has also focused some of its promotional efforts at three other key markets: groups and conventions, recreational anglers and the motorcoach industry.

"We need to do a better job to reach these groups," Powers said.

She suggested that a marketing professional be hired to be a specialist in attracting all the markets to the region.