Tourism Matters - Stephanie Movre

Tourism Matters
Stephanie Movre
Tourism director

Holly Springs Tourism and Recreation Bureau news

Many of you already know the importance of investing and staying involved in your community; but did you realize that the revenue received by tourism makes up a large amount of the total income an area receives? In fact for every $1 spent on tourism in a community there is a $10 return! Have you ever had an investment return to you tenfold? Yet little to none of that income is reinvested back into tourism. Currently most only reinvest one-tenth of a percent! If a business received $1,000 in new business because of $100 spent on advertising, it would be considered poor management to reinvest only $10 back into their business! If you want to grow a business, you have to reinvest as much of your profits as you can to succeed; and any way you look at it, tourism is never a bad investment.

Think your business doesn’t rely on tourism?

Tourism actually accounts for a good chunk of many industries’ yearly income. Restaurants receive (on average) 50% of their income from tourism, gas stations 32%, auto dealers and garages 16%, grocery stores 14%, hardware and building supplies 13% and even drug stores can thank tourists for 11% of their income!

If those numbers don’t impress you, how about this: For every 10 new tourists who enter our city, the population is likely to increase by 46 people—bringing in 14 new households, $112,000 in retail sales and 11 new jobs!

I have been honored to speak at many functions throughout the city on the importance of tourism. If you have attended any of those functions, these figures are not new to you. I look forward to meeting with many others and would be glad to attend any of your meetings or speak to your group to address any questions or concerns, or to talk about the history and attractions of Holly Springs. Remember: it is our community and our job to make it prosper.

Tourism Traffic report:

September 2007

Now that I’m off my soapbox, I am happy to report that we have had a stellar month at the tourism office. The Hummingbird Migration Celebration had a great turnout and I met visitors from all over the area who were very interested in coming back to Holly Springs to experience all we have to offer! The Under the Stars fundraiser was truly an enchanting event; you definitely want to purchase tickets for next year! Also look for an upcoming article on both in the Y’all Magazine December issue.
As the Kudzu Festival nears we are getting so excited over the growing list of events. This year it is returning to the historic square and includes a BBQ cook-off, gospel jamboree competition, arts and crafts fair as well as MS Hill Country Blues with Kenny Brown, DuWayne Burnside, Ralph Waller and others! It is guaranteed to be a fantastic event. Please check out our website at www.visithollysprings.org for more info.
We have received a ton of interest in not only the Kudzu Festival, but also the Historical Museum’s upcoming Holiday Home Tour. It has been extended to two weekends (Dec. 1-2 and 8-9) to show the many beautiful homes located outside of the city limits also. It will truly be a spectacular event which includes joyful cantatas and even a dinner theater! We hope everyone will make it a point to come out and enjoy the holiday spirit!
Here at the tourism office we welcomed 130 visitors, the highest ‘per day’ number being during the Hummingbird Migration Celebration, plus four group tours consisting of 68 visitors who decided to bypass the crowds during the Hummingbird event and tour the home once the event was over.

Looks like we may need to think about extending part of the festival… that is, if the birds are up for it!

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Thursday, October 11, 2007
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