Currituck Tourism

[barbmarz]

FROM THE DAILY ADVANCE

Currituck to spend $2.3M on tourism

By Cindy Beamon

Staff Writer

Sunday, June 12, 2011
Currituck will spend $2.3 million in advertising next year under its newly proposed tourism budget.

That’s enough to buy 70 ads in magazines like Southern Living, O Magazine and Reader’s Digest at up to $21,000 a piece.
And the print adds are less than a quarter of the budget.
Most of the advertising dollars will go toward online promotions.
Tourism director Diane Nordstrom said more vacationers are researching
their destinations via the web, and Currituck has marked the trend. Next
year, the department plans to spend 41 percent of its budget connecting
to internet information seekers.
Already the effort has reaped some mind-boggling results, said Nordstrom.
After some advertising on Google TV, the tourism department is
getting calls from as far away as Oregon, even though the county has
never advertised there. The new technology that combines TV, the web and
apps is spreading word about Currituck’s Outer Banks faster than ever,
said Nordstrom.
“Our phones are ringing; it’s definitely paying off,” said Nordstrom.
The new technology and the high-dollar advertising are a dramatic
change from when Nordstrom became the tourism department’s first
director six years ago.
That year the operating budget was $350,000.
The proposed promotions budget is now more than $3 million.
Two-thirds of the budget pays for advertising. The rest goes toward
maintaining two visitors centers — one in Moyock and one in Corolla —
and salaries for an eight-person staff and additional part-time
personnel to man the centers.
“We grew fast, but we needed to grow fast,” said Nordstrom.
Last year, the department hired a new events planner. One of the
benefits will be an expanded July 4th celebration in Corolla this year,
said Nordstrom.
Vacationers actually pay for all the promotions.
The department is fueled by occupancy tax revenue paid by
vacationers whose bills include a 6 percent levy on lodging. The state
specifies that a third of the revenue has to go toward promotions. This
year, the county is expecting to reap $8.9 million from the tax.
One line item on next year’s budget includes a marketing study to
assist the department in targeting a typical Corolla vacationer — a
family living up north, close enough to drive, who will spend an average
of four nights and $1,521 during their stay.
The new marketing study will be one more tool for attracting more
people to Currituck’s Outer Banks, said Nordstrom. Then the department
will know how best to spend the county’s advertising dollars that have
multiplied tenfold in less than a decade.
Despite the rapid increase, spending those marketing dollars is no problem, she said.
“It’s not hard to spend when you find out how expensive advertising is,” she said.
Nor will the dollars exceed the need, she said. “Personally, I don’t think you can advertise enough,” said Nordstrom.
Once the summer season is booked, there will always be the
off-season to advertise and the challenge to get more people to spend
money at local businesses during their trip, she explained.

[barbmarz]

Currituck expects flock to beaches

By Cindy Beamon By Cindy Beamon

Staff Writer Staff Writer

Sunday, June 12, 2011
After a jump-start in April and a lull in May, tourist
season appears to be warming up slowly for local businesses on the
Currituck Outer Banks.

Memorial Day traditionally marks the beginning of an upswing in
vacationers, but this year Easter was the magic week for businesses that
reported strong sales in April.
The spring spurt slacked off, however, and businesses are now
waiting for the momentum to build as schools close and families flock to
the beaches.
One real estate company predicted a strong year after a delayed
start to the season. Late school closings caused by last winter’s record
snows in the Northeast have caused vacationers to wait until later in
June to book a stay.
Despite the delay, Jon Summerton, vice president for Twiddy and
Company Realtors, said bookings for beach cottage rentals “look ahead of
last year’s pace.” Bookings for July, August and September are looking
especially strong, he said.
“Compared to where we were a year ago, we are up significantly,”
said Summerton whose company handles 900 rentals in Corolla, Duck and
the four-wheel drive area at the Outer Banks.
Tourism Director Diane Nordstrom also predicted a strong season.
“All indications are it’s going to be a good summer barring any major storms,” said Nordstrom.
Another real estate company had a more cautious prediction for the coming season, however.
Norman Bibeau with Elan Vacations said more vacationers are shopping
for deals in a tight economy, and bookings, although good for July and
August, do not match last year’s record-setting months. Bibeau said the
oil spill off the coast of Louisiana may have impacted last year’s
bookings as vacationers looked for another summer destination. He’s not
expecting a repeat of the dramatic upturn this season.
Bibeau, who owns a seafood shop in Waves, also predicted vacationers will be watching their spending.
For the past few years, vacationers have been more frugal in making
purchases, opting to eat in, rather than dine out and choosing less
costly souvenirs rather than more expensive ones. Last year’s sales tax
figures, with the exception of July, show spending did not keep pace
with the rise in vacation bookings for the season.
“We are hoping people will be a little more free in patronizing our
local businesses because they definitely need it,” said Nordstrom.
Local businesses offered mixed reviews about tourist spending so far.
Sherri Sawyer, owner of Winks of Corolla, said Friday that business
is picking up after a drop-off following strong sales on Memorial Day
weekend.
Ice and beer are the top sellers at the gas station/grocery store,
the last stop of its kind before the off-road area. “Ice is our hottest
commodity,” said Sawyer.
Gas prices, still above the $3.50-a-gallon mark, do not appear to be a deterrent to vacationers, she said.
“I haven’t heard too many complaints. I think people have accepted it,” said Sawyer.
Not everyone was convinced that gas prices have been without effect, however.
Another convenience store in Moyock en route to the Outer Banks reported a slight decrease in gas sales during May.
“Sales are down a little bit; naturally it’s going to be with gas
prices the way it is,” said Border Station employee Ray Downing.
Groceries and gas will not be the challenge this coming season, say
some local business owners. Instead, the bigger purchases at expensive
restaurants and specialty shops will be the test of a better retail
season, said one spokeswoman for TimBuck II who did not want to be
identified.
She said merchants at the shopping center are reporting that sales
have slowed after a “wonderful Easter.” But store owners are hopeful for
this week after hearing reports from real estate companies that more
vacationers are coming.
Souvenir shopping at the Outer Banks Wildlife Center in Corolla was
also up for Easter. The center reported a 71 percent increase in sales,
even though attendance was down 10 percent.
“I think it’s an early indicator that people will be spending money,
but I can’t say for sure,” said visitor center coordinator Sandra
Powers.
Overall, retail sales for the fiscal year ending in July are expected to be up at least 10 percent at the center, said Powers.
Josh Bass, new president of the Currituck Chamber of Commerce, said
he is expecting a good season for Outer Banks businesses. Bass, a member
of the N.C. Travel and Tourism Board, said his optimism reflects a
state-wide projection.
“We are hearing that the numbers statewide are looking good. We are expecting some very strong numbers this year,” said Bass.