Tourists come and go, but last year over $240 million was here to stay in Henderson County, according to the N.C. Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development.
The Henderson County Chamber of Commerce hosted its monthly Business Morning Update at the Chariot Wednesday, inviting Western Carolina University’s Hospitality Tourism Department Director Steve Morse to be the guest speaker.
During his presentation, Morse broke down where that tourism money goes, who benefits and why the industry is key to the county’s economic security and growth.
“There are so many counties throughout the United States that’d trade places in a heartbeat to have your tourism growth,” Morse said.
He and a team of researchers conducted a study looking at a 13-year trend in how travel impacted North Carolina counties. What they found was that Henderson County experienced steady growth in tourist spending between 2002 up to the recession, with a slight dip from 2008 to 2009. As the economy improved, numbers of tourist spending jumped almost 30 percent over the next five years.
The increased spending, said Morse, has translated to more jobs and paychecks, more tax dollars available to the county and a higher quality of life through economic development.
“When it comes to tourism jobs, a lot of people think low-wage and short term, but that’s not a complete picture of the tourism economy,” Morse said. “That’s like thinking the only ones working in a hospital are the orderlies we see.”
In fact, while the study shows that the percentage of total jobs in the market increased from 12-and-a-half percent to over 14 percent, the biggest job gains over the last decade were in health and education services. This coincides with the jump in population numbers across age groups.
As for the future, Morse said the county is looking good both in the short and long terms. As gas prices continue to drop, more people venture to the area and spend their disposal income, roughly $1,475 more than they would spend a year ago. Meanwhile, quality-of-life standards have shifted over the years that make Henderson County and Western North Carolina the mecca for the next generation’s workers.
Called the creative class, the next generation will have the ability and resources of digital connectedness to work from almost anywhere. Meanwhile, quality-of-life standards continue to shift from traditional necessities such as low home prices and good schools to the desire for close proximity to natural resources and greenspaces.
“While I and my generation want to hit a buffet during lunch, the future employees want a greenway to run five miles,” Morse joked.
What makes Henderson County and Western North Carolina hotspots for travel is key toward the region becoming the next generation’s home, he added.
Reach Kerns at charli.kerns@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7881. Follow at @BRNCharli.
Leave a Reply