Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/507207
20 UCW MAY 6-12, 2015 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM FTCC Ad TOURISM MEANS BUSINESS FOR CUMBERLAND COUNTY May 2nd through May 10th is National Travel & Tourism Week, the week the US Travel Association designates to champion the value of travel to the national, state and local economies. There's no better time to talk about the value of tourism to Cumberland County. The tourism industry creates a significant impact on Cumberland County's economy. In 2013, domestic travel to Cumberland County generated $472 million in expenditures. Additionally, travel generated $34.5 million in state and local tax revenues, which represents a $104 tax savings to each county resident. These figures rank Cumberland County 9th out of North Carolina's 100 counties in economic impact from travel and tourism. The Fayetteville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau works to position Cumberland County as a destination for meetings, tournaments and individual travel. The bureau is funded by taxes paid by visitors staying overnight in hotels and distributed through the Tourism Development Authority (TDA) . Although county taxpayers do not fund efforts to increase tourism, they receive the benefit. CVB WORKS FOR CUMBERLAND COUNTY The bureau works on recruiting new visitors, expanding current stays and bulding visitor experiences. How do we do this? + Recruitment of meetings and tournaments for Cumberland County. Staff gathers meeting and tournament leads at events and trade shows. They work closely closely with event planners to sell Cumberland County as the perfect location for their next meeting or tournament. To date this fiscal year, staff has recruited 117 groups for Cumberland County. The economic impact of these events is projected at $4.2 million. + Development of products to expand visitor experiences. A few of our current products: - 18 Cultural Heritage Trails that divide Cumberland County's attributes into specific themes. - TrailTrek , our geocaching trail is a high-tech, family friendly scavenger hunt. - America's Hometown Passport - see sidebar for more + Servicing current visitors at three visitor centers - 245 Person Street (Main Office) - Fayetteville Transportation & Local History Museum - Cross Creek Mall / JC Penney Wing Passport to America's Hometown Interested in learning more about Cumberland County and want to have fun doing it? Stop by one of our visitor centers and pick up your passport and start exploring. The Passport to Americas Hometown connects 12 sites - including museums, battlefields, art galleries, me- morials, gardens and nature centers. Each two page entry includes a brief description of the site, full-color picture and all contact information. Once you have your passport, at each stop on your journey, you'll receive a customized stamp from that location. Passports are available at each site in the passport, and at the three Fayetteville Area Convention & Visi- tors Bureau Visitor Centers. FEATURED ATTRACTION ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Melody Foote Director of Communications Fayetteville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Liberty Point Bulletin 484-6200 www.upandcomingweekly.com Turn to our calendar every Wednesday and see what's happening!