President Obama touts NC's tourism efforts

President Obama is touting a plan to boost tourism in the United States, pointing to North Carolina as a state where eco-tourism and outdoor activities boost tourism.

Obama said he is looking at ways to expand the global entry program, which helps pre-screen international visitors at security checkpoints. That will make it easier and safer for frequent travelers to get into the U.S.

The president also issued an executive order to speed up the tourist visa process in China and Brazil.

International visitors make up two percent of the state’s tourism, according to Lynn Minges, assistant secretary for tourism, marketing and global branding.

According to the state’s Department of Commerce, the further away people come, the more they spend.

International travelers spend $590 million a year in N.C., accounting for 7,500 jobs and generating $98 million in tax revenue.

"The international visitor is looking for an authentic experience,” said Dale Carroll, deputy secretary and chief operating officer for the Department of Commerce. “Part of that may involve some outdoor activities; part of that, learning more about different parts of the world.”

No matter where they’re coming from, tourists make North Carolina the sixth most visited state in the country. About a third of tourism in North Carolina is generated by people who live in the state, Minges said.

Mary Rizkalla, who lives in Pittsboro and has been in North Carolina for six years, says she visited downtown Raleigh for one of the first times Thursday night.

"I thought it was like a way smaller version of New York and a lot cleaner,” she said. “We've heard about it and it is our capital, so we just want to look around.”

Statistics from the Department of Commerce show Wake County is the second-highest ranked county in the state for visitor spending, right behind Mecklenburg County. Minges said most people who come to the area come for a sporting event, to visit family or come for a business trip.

“It's the state capital. It's got a fantastic history,” said Todd Masinter, owner of Triangle Glides in downtown Raleigh. He saw a niche for Segway tours when he started the business about four years ago.

“We were kind of surprised that -- for the casual visitor -- there wasn’t a whole lot for them to do downtown,” Masinter said.

“It makes a real, almost like a perfect locale for Segway tours,” he said. “In four or five miles, we can show them many of the major points of interest here in the city center.”

Masinter’s business is one of 40,000 in the state directly providing products and services to travelers.

In 2010, the travel and tourism industry directly employed 185,500 people in the state. Those visitors spend more than $46.6 million a day in North Carolina and contribute nearly $4.1 million a day in tax revenues, according to the U.S. Travel Association.

Visitors spent a total of $17 billion in North Carolina in 2010, according to the Department of Commerce. That was up 9 percent from 2009. Numbers from 2011 are not yet available.

Masinter said 17,000 people have taken his tours since he started the business.

"A lot of people who would maybe a few years ago take a large big trip someplace far away, a lot of people are scaling back, staying close to home,” he said.

Meanwhile Rizkalla, who admits she hasn’t explored far beyond the Triangle, is ready to branch out.

"I do want to go to Wilmington. That is in North Carolina, right?” she said.

Rizkalla may add to a growing tourism business. North Carolina had a record year in 2010 with 36.8 million visitors, a 2.5 percent increase from the year before. Statistics from 2011 are not yet available.

Carroll attributes the increase to multiple factors, including increased marketing. The state has become the sixth most visited state with the country’s 26^th largest budget for tourism.

“There are other parts of the United States where you can drive to North Carolina and have a more reasonable vacation from that standpoint. There are a number of factors for it,” Carroll said.

For more state tourism statistics, click: http://www.nccommerce.com/tourism/research