Tourism heads turn to past for future
Marketers anticipate healthy forecast

By Scott Nicholson

To embrace the future of tourism, marketers might need to turn to the past.

Karin Moss

That was the message of the High Country Tourism Summit, which took place Thursday at Tweetsie Railroad in Boone.

Sponsored by the regional tourism and promotional agency High Country Host, it brought together speakers and business interests from the mountains to reflect on the tourism audience and the region’s identity.

Lynn Minges, executive director of the North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development, acknowledged challenging times for the tourism industry.

She cited gasoline prices and shortages, a troubled economy, turmoil from the elections and airline issues as factors affecting tourism and said hotel occupancy in 2008 was down 6 percent from the same point last year.
“In the last decade, tourism in North Carolina has grown 50 percent and outpaced the national average,” she said. “We were booming in 2006 and 2007.”

Last year, visitors to North Carolina spent $16.5 billion, supporting 200,000 jobs.

Minges said that every $1 spent on travel marketing generated $185 in visitor spending, but budget shortfalls threatened marketing budgets.

“We’re all in this together and all the more reason we have to work together with limited resources,” she said.
Minges said the state had worked with various parties and the media to get free coverage and publicity, particularly with the autumn leaf season.

She said the Web site VisitNC.com had proven successful, with direct links to businesses and travel itineraries.

Movies filmed in the state and the growing profile of the wine industry also helped raise interest in visiting.

Scott Gilmore, director of account management at LKM, shared marketing strategies and how tourism could be targeted to the most likely audiences.

He said 38 percent of mountain visitors came from within the state, with traditional travel patterns showing seasonal migrations. About 86 percent of overnight visitors travel to the state by car, with shopping and sightseeing among the top activities.

Gilmore said a survey of travelers showed 26 percent of North Carolina travelers would prefer to travel in the state and expect to take shorter vacations. More than half said gas prices had a major impact on their travel plans.

He also said people tended to view the mountains as “an unspoiled destination” and that care should be taken when making changes and addressing growth.

Betty Huskins, representing AdvantageWest, explained how the state had divided into seven different regional marketing areas and said collaboration was the key to success. She also explained the Go Blue Ridge card, which allows the purchaser to visit a number of regional attractions.

“We have two of the most-visited national parks,” she said, and also touted the Blue Ridge Natural Heritage Area as another source of federal funds.

Chris Cavanaugh, president of Magellan Strategy Group, said when the High Country Host formed, the median age of Americans was 30 and it is now 36.4, with an expected increase to 39 by 2030.

“That makes an obvious impact on the kind of messages and experiences generated,” he said.

He also likened the current economic landscape as similar to that of the Host’s origins, with oil shortages, a recession and a reluctance for travelers to leave their homes. The amount of air travel has nearly tripled in that time, and technology has offered a number of spending options that keep the consumer home.

Cavanaugh said people spent more time in their cars today, which made it challenging to convince them to jump in their cars and drive to a vacation.

“What hasn’t changed is the need to work together is greater now than it was in 1980,” he said, encouraging the development of a regional identity. “Your customer does not see county lines.”

He also suggested developing the High Country as a single area and brand.

“A brand is nothing more than an emotional connection,” Cavanaugh said.

Kelly Miller, executive director of the Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau, said “Experiences matter.”

He said it wasn’t important what marketers felt about the area; it was important what visitors said and how they felt about the area. He said the personal experiences and emotional connections would create lasting value.

Karin Moss, executive director of High Country Host, said the regional marketing entities and tourism-related businesses could coordinate their resources and craft a shared identity. “We can go back to the drawing board and reevaluate the things we’ve taken for granted,” she said.

Moss also encouraged the attendees to share creative ideas and marketing research. “Be realistic about our attributes and, above all, let’s give the people what they want,” Moss said.

Chris Robbins, general manager of Tweetsie, said 2008 was a challenging year for the Wild West theme park and other local attractions, though he said it was time to plan for the coming economic recovery. “It’s more important now than ever to make sure people travel to our area,” Robbins said.

Kent Tarbutton, owner of Chetola Resort who served as master of ceremonies for the event, said the ability to gather and talk about common interests indicated good health for tourism in the days ahead.