Business North Carolina recently reported that despite the economy, visitor spending trends were up.
Diane Nordstrom, the director the Currituck County Travel and Tourism Department claims Currituck’s visitor spending rose 8.1 percent in 2012 to $131.2 million, compared with the year before. Her department began offering a card that gives visitors discounts at participating businesses. It has also invested in marketing and advertising.
Figures from the State Commerce Department show visitor spending increased in all 100 of North Carolina’s counties in 2012.
Data from the Department’s Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development showed that Mecklenburg, Wake and Guilford counties had more than $1 billion in visitor spending in 2012. In addition, Dare, Buncombe, Forsyth and Durham counties all had more than half a billion dollars in spending. Furthermore, Wit Tuttell, director of N.C. tourism and marketing, believes that 2013 is also headed for a record. He attributes some of the increase to attracting more foreign visitors by advertising the state’s assets in Canada and Europe.
However, given the ongoing global economic challenges, on a destination level, economic sustainability will depend on the ability to manage costs and generate revenue even outside the peak visitor arrival periods.
To continue the momentum, there are a number of tourism marketing strategies that destinations may want to consider.
- Create new “staycation” programs to encourage local tourism
- Enhance customer service procedures to stimulate higher visitor spending
- Establish new partnerships with other tourism entities, government agencies and universities
- Develop experiential travel packages that engage visitors in activities that are inherently personal
Ultimately, the best way to stimulate spending is to sell more than just a room. You need to sell an experience. How will your destination rise-up and meet this challenge?
