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Tourism council details Visitors Investment Fund; Round 2 deadline Aug. 31 and $350,000 earmarked for supplemental marketing
Summary
Thousand Islands International Tourism Council Executive Director Corey Fram told the committee the Visitors Investment Fund—financed by Jefferson County occupancy tax revenue—received 34 Round 1 applications (~$700,000 requested); 2025 collections were $1,177,198.95 and Q1 2026 collections were $230,960.58. Round 2 applications are due Aug. 31.
Corey Fram, executive director of the Thousand Islands International Tourism Council, presented the Jefferson County Visitors Investment Fund to the Finance & Rules Committee on May 26.
Fram said the fund reinvests occupancy tax revenue into tourism projects intended to bolster visitor experiences and residents’ quality of life. He reported 2025 occupancy tax collections of $1,177,198.95 (a 9.96% decrease from the prior year) and first‑quarter 2026 collections of $230,960.58 (a 95.9% year‑over‑year increase, as stated in the presentation). Fram said Round 1 of funding received 34 applications requesting roughly $700,000; applications were reviewed and ranked by a committee that included legislators.
The fund has $350,000 allocated for supplemental marketing initiatives. Fram identified projects slated for that supplemental marketing pool today and in the near term: Watertown International Airport marketing asset development, a Watertown International Airport website redesign, airport marketing/advertising for 2026–2028, public relations, Fort Drum marketing, and supplemental travel‑trade activities.
Fram noted that Round 2 of the competitive application process has a deadline of Aug. 31. The presentation summarized the funded projects from Round 1 and outlined the committee review process; no formal vote on the fund itself was required at this meeting.
