Tourism now the top industry in the region

Archived Opinion

Tourism now the top industry in the region

Downtown Sylva. Margaret Hester photo

By Nick Breedlove • Guest Columnist

On May 6-12 we celebrate National Tourism Week, and this year’s theme from the U.S. Travel Association is “Then and Now.”

In my role as Director of the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority, my goal is to create awareness about what a special place this area is and to inspire others to travel here and spend a night, or two or three.

When you think tourism, what comes to mind? Not being able to find a parking spot; more traffic; a changing culture of outsiders? I can appreciate all of those ideas and I used to share a lot of them before this role. However, I’d encourage you to think about it a bit differently.

A shifting economy

Over the last few decades, small mountain communities nationwide, but especially in WNC, have shifted from manufacturing and farming to tourism as their prime economic driver. That’s not to discount those two sectors that are still huge here and incredibly valuable, but the focus has shifted to tourism. With that shift comes change. Some of it is welcome and some is less welcome. The truth is, though, change is inevitable, and it’s how we adapt and embrace it that matters.

Related Items

With the rising tide of visitation to the mountain region, we see greater prosperity. While the TDA’s primary goal is room nights in area accommodations, I think it’s more important to step out of that mindset and appreciate the jobs tourism supports, along with the better quality of life it brings. Jobs affected by tourism are not just in hotels. Think about the last time you went on vacation — you buy gas, groceries, food in restaurants, you visit attractions and retailers. Each one of those establishments depends on tourists for their business.

Our restaurants and retailers are able to stay open longer and later in the season as a result of tourism. Without the demand, they reduce hours and have to make workers part-time or seasonal.

The running joke used to be that Sylva rolled its streets up at 5 p.m. One would be hard pressed to make that case now. Our businesses are thriving. Mill Street is busier than I can ever remember it being; it’s no longer a street you pass through, it’s a destination in its own right. Dillsboro and Cashiers are also growing and expanding in an equally impressive way.

When retailers and restaurants thrive, they give back to their community. This comes in the form giving away gift certificates to fundraisers, donations to school groups and other non-profits. When tourism is successful the economic ripple begins, and businesses are too, and as a result, they are able to give back.

Tourism is big business, with a direct impact calculated by the US Travel Association at $188.2 million in Jackson County. Locally, tourism supports 1,810 jobs. Put another way, if tourism jobs didn’t exist and if those jobs were added to the unemployment roll, then unemployment would top 15 percent.

It goes without saying that people often tell me to stop doing my job so well. And I can laugh at that … and appreciate it. Some have even said to me that “we used to be the best kept secret.”

I’m not one for growth for growth’s sake. We cannot continue to just bring more and more people to the same location. Destinations nationwide and internationally struggle with overtourism; some question whether that’s even the case in some of the larger cities east of us.

An expanded role

TDAs used to be called Destination Marketing Organizations that focused solely on advertising. Now that role has expanded, and we are commonly called Destination Management Organizations, recognizing the increased roles we have to not only bring people here, but provide and curate the experiences people have once here. Part of that management is ensuring we are responsible stewards of our environment and promote sustainability.

As a destination, we have to grow sustainably in such a way that’s harmonious with our way of life here. Our natural assets are what we’re known for and we have to protect them. When I came on in this role, we began promoting leave-no-trace through our brochures, website, and printed maps. We also began donating to environmental groups like Friends of Panthertown and the Pinnacle Park Foundation who help keep these mountains looking great. That’s the best part of having grown up here — I have a deep appreciation and respect for the importance of our natural environment.

I do have to say I’m pleased when I drive down Main Street and can’t find a parking spot. That means our restaurants and merchants are busy, which means they’re able to hire and employ staff and have their businesses grow and flourish. It also means others are able to experience what makes our towns so special. Our communities are going through a renaissance of sorts right now. For proof look no further than all the businesses opening and expanding.

Through tourist spending, a significant amount of tax revenue comes back to the state and county. As a result of tourist spending, about $8 million in sales tax comes back to the county, which means our residents pay a lot less in taxes — in fact, each of Jackson County’s 26,949 households save $711 on taxes per year as a result of tourism.

All the same, all different

To tie into this year’s theme of “Then and Now,” I looked back through our archives to determine what we did to promote tourism as far back as the 1930s and compared them to what we do today. Referencing early tourism brochures from the Sylva Herald and WCU’s Hunter Library, we promoted much of the same as we do now — hiking, fly fishing and waterfalls. We touted our proximity to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The simple brochure guaranteed visitors “mosquito free nights” and “cool enough weather that you need a blanket year-round.”

Looking at the complexity of how we advertise now, it’s amazing all the programs we have in place to strategically market the county. Times have certainly changed and neighboring destinations are vying for the same tourists we are. It’s an incredibly competitive market.

We advertise now through a multitude of platforms, and this list only scratches the surface: social media posts, social media influencer trips to the county (people with large online followings who post about us), public relations pitching to media outlets to cover us, bringing travel writers here to experience the county in-person, press releases about events and offerings, blog posts, print ads in magazines and publications, digital ad banners on websites, advertising on search engines, and more. This year, we are showing ads to people on the online streaming service Hulu in the Atlanta market, which is a prime market for us.

While the TDA’s budget is about a million dollars, every dollar has to work incredibly hard to generate a return on investment. Studies show that for every dollar we spend on advertising, $15 comes back to the community. Our budget is solely funded by tax paid by tourists on their overnight stays; no county or state dollars. We have to work hard to generate that return on investment and are wise stewards of the occupancy tax. We are constantly working to position ourselves well in the market so that an advertisement now pays off in the future. Why advertise in 2018? 2019.

When you see an article online that mentions Jackson County and one of our towns, there’s a good chance that it did not just randomly make it there; those are likely through our efforts, and we’ve done a great job. We appear in top ten lists and full-length features so often that we actually established a Media Room on our website (DiscoverJacksonNC.com) to showcase the best of these. In the last two years we’ve had placements in the Washington Post, New York Times, Boston Globe, on the Weather Channel, Southern Living, in Our State magazine … those are just a small sampling of the dozens of publications showcasing all we have to offer. Keep an eye out for the July issue of Our State — it will be something really special.

As a staff of one, managing our program keeps me busy, day in, day out, and I’m incredibly appreciative of the board I work for and the team we have in place. The board’s role is to provide the strategy and leave me to employ tactics to deliver successful results. We have great partners in our advertising and public relations firms we work with who do such good work for us on a daily basis. They’re truly committed to Jackson County and they know us as a destination. Thanks also go to our Chamber directors, Julie Spiro and Stephanie Edwards, who not only operate our Visitor Centers but also support and foster economic development and a business environment that makes Jackson County so successful.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also thank our hoteliers, accommodations, restaurants and retailers who create such a positive experience for those visiting. We bring media and travel writers here all the time and the takeaway I always hear about is first, how beautiful this place is, and second, how nice everyone is. Without our gracious Southern hospitality, people might visit once, but not return. It’s the great experience that they have here that they share with others and the reason that they come back.

For National Travel and Tourism Week, we celebrate the past, embrace the future (and its opportunities and challenges), and all that we have to offer here that makes it such a great place to live, work and play.

(Nick Breedlove is the executive director of the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Tags: