Posted: Sunday, November 1, 2015 12:00 am
The revamped Economic Development Alliance and reorganized Greater Fayetteville Chamber have a terrific opportunity to partner with elected officials on a long-overlooked and often ignored major industry that meets the mission statement of both organizations.
Tourism is the second-largest industry in North Carolina, exceeded only by agriculture. And Fayetteville is a destination city, which means visitors will come and stay. Fayetteville has Revolutionary and Civil War history, heritage sites, festivals second to none, a renowned botanical garden, unique museums, terrific theater and art exhibits, and a quaint downtown.
What it does not have is a collaborative vision on how to leverage these wonderful assets into a viable economic driver for the local economy. That’s money-speak for developing a market to draw the tourism dollar here to benefit the entire community.
After years of civic struggling to stretch funding to support attractions, culture and the arts that were all bidding for the same limited resources, a 6 percent occupancy tax was imposed on hotel rooms. And after further wrangling, the revenue generated was finally split between the Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Arts Council.
Since its inception, the occupancy tax has been interpreted to mean putting “heads in beds” rather than being the mechanism for collection of a sales tax. This narrow definition caused tourism efforts to focus on filling the local hotels and has given the hotel industry (with all due respect) greater representation on the FACVB board than warranted. The confusion on the collection mechanism with the intended beneficiaries has also distorted the funds toward advertising versus tourist attractions. The need for hotel space for Fort Bragg personnel and contractors kept revenue flowing without much competition.
For several years, the FACVB directed the dollars toward the military market, at times shocking the community with “commando raids” on a Travel Council meeting or posting a video online showing old ladies carrying soldiers on their backs across Hay Street. In reality, the wealthier FACVB was perceived as squandering money, while the Arts Council struggled to support many groups and projects worthy of tourism funding.
The final straw came when the suggestion was made to drop “Fayetteville” from the convention bureau’s name. That may be one reason why county commissioners sought legislation to redirect FACVB tax funding into projects controlled by the commissioners.
That bill caused uproar for its secrecy and nebulous projects. What projects? Perhaps an art museum, a baseball stadium, restoration of Heritage Square, the Civil War museum, a center for the performing arts or even a Cape Fear River visitor venue. All are worthy projects but require collaboration, cooperation and partnerships with the stakeholders and other local organizations.
The legislation went down in flames.
Dependence on Bragg
The latest issue of concern is the new Fort Bragg Conference Center, which local hotels feel threatens revenue from both hotel rooms and meeting space. But the center is here to stay, and years of relying on Fort Bragg to generate the lion’s share of the occupancy tax will have to be reconsidered. This dependency has resulted in a complacency that failed to invest in infrastructure (including the airport) and support of a comprehensive tourism plan that included all sectors of the community.
The Fort Bragg dilemma also offers opportunities. Although the Economic Development group and Chamber have just separated, there is a need to take a look at tourism (especially heritage tourism) as a bona fide industry. It means bringing the stakeholders out of their silos to get actively involved with the mentoring of both the Chamber and Alliance to develop new venues that interest the insatiable tourist industry. It might well attract tourism dollars and investment in the community and stimulate the small businesses that thrive in a destination city. And after all, aren’t investment, growth and business stimulation the mission of both organizations?
Fayetteville resident Sharon Valentine is a retired business owner, farmer and nonprofit executive. She has owned travel agencies and worked as a meeting planner.
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Sunday, November 1, 2015 12:00 am.
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