SURF CITY, NC (WECT) –
Eight shark bites in a little less than a month have put North Carolina’s coastline on the map, and some say the publicity may be taking a bite out of business.
Surf City, like many beach towns, thrives on tourism. Some locals say they hope the sharks in these coastal waters won’t stop beach goers from spending their summer on the sand.
But some have already seen an effect.
“We have seen major cut backs in people that should have been here from last year,” Josh Williams, a local grocery store merchant, said.
Despite the open signs meant to draw shoppers in, some say it’s not enough to beat the negative attention these bites have brought on their town.
“Because it affects our tourism so much, it’s everything to this island,”Williams said. “I don’t think it should be painted in the light that it is.”
Others believe it may be too early to tell what effect these shark bites may have on the tourist industry.
“The trend really isn’t there yet,” Director of Tourism Development Allan Libby said. “I suspect if there is an impact, it’s not going to be really significant because most of the people that come here know what’s going on.”
Some local businesses shared that opinion.
“We’re pretty busy just like normal, every thing seems normal anyways,” Garrett Swank with Hot Diggity Dogz said. “Plenty of people have mentioned the sharks, but no one’s really staying out of the water.”
The bites have made people more cautious though.
“We don’t know if we’re going to be swimming the next couple of days,” Joe Haley said.
Officials in Surf City say since the first bite reported in June, they’ve added a section to their website promoting beach safety, including how to avoid shark bites.
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