While discussions of the economy tend to be bleak these days, optimism reigns supreme in the city of Saratoga Springs.

“Inquiries in response to our traditional forms of advertising are up about 18 percent from 2008,” said Joe Dalton, president of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. “While responses to internet advertising are down about 10 percent from last year, which is odd, we’ve already gotten tourism inquiries from all fifty states.”

Dalton attributes the continued interest in Saratoga tourism to a healthy local economy, which he believes is somewhat insulated from the hardships other localities are facing.

“The Saratoga unemployment rate is in the six percent range, compared to about eight percent in New York State overall,” Dalton said. “We’re pretty well-insulated with a stable labor force and we’ve had no major layoffs in the region. From a retail standpoint, downtown is almost at 100 percent first-floor occupancy.”

The local thoroughbred industry and Saratoga Race Course are significant contributors when it comes to the health of the local economy. According to a study commissioned by Saratoga County in 2006, the direct and indirect economic impact is well over $150 million.

“Saratoga is about horses, health and history,” said David Zunker, president of the Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau. “Not necessarily in that order, but from an economic perspective and an image perspective as well, it should certainly be exactly in that order.

“We’ve been working hard to expand the Saratoga brand and with support from a vibrant and vital downtown [and] the addition of many other attractions, we’ve managed to broaden visitors’ perspective and awareness that there are plenty of things to do and see and lots of excitement in Saratoga all year round.”

Visitors seem to agree. Dalton said the major difference between this year and previous years is that individuals are more likely to hunt for bargains.

“Hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts have all reported that they’re looking toward a good season, but are finding that people are shopping around and looking at rates more closely than they did in the past,” Dalton said. “The same goes for restaurants – the people who bought a $50 bottle of wine last year are buying a $30 bottle of wine this year.”

From Saratoga Race Course to lively downtown Saratoga Springs, the city has plenty to offer the budget-conscious and is within a three hour drive of New York City, Boston and Montreal, and within four hours of Philadelphia.

“At a time when national studies indicate that travelers are tending toward the conservative, maybe cutting back and staying closer to home, that trend could work in our favor,” Zunker said. “The track's appeal, and that of Saratoga in general, is that it is family-oriented – and especially in these economic times – affordable. Cost to get in the track is minimal, even getting grandstand seats is not very expensive. There's built-in entertainment for those who love the grandeur of an historic racetrack setting, plenty to see and plenty to eat.”

Zunker added that the convention bureau was optimistic that 2009 would be a good season, with steady group business through the summer building into the fall. Though he said hotels had weathered a slight down period in the winter and early spring, he believes they are poised for a strong recovery and looking forward to a strong summer season.