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Tourism contributes to Statesville's economy
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Published: September 5, 2008
Listen closely, and you'll hear a variety of accents on any weekday night over at Glutton's Restaurant. More than half of Laurie Dean's customers are from out of town. A glance around the parking lot shows license tags from Ontario, Ohio and Florida. You'll see the same thing at some downtown restaurants, too. And that is the way it's been for many years.
Tourists are contributing to the overall local economy, as indicated in numbers released on Tuesday from the NC Department of Commerce and the NC Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development. In making the announcement, Governor Mike Easley said the state brought in $17.1 billion, topping 2006 figures by 7.4 percent.
Numbers for 2008 will be available next year.
Growth was felt on the local level, too. In Iredell County, 2007 tourism expenditures were up 5.9 percent over 2006. It ranks 20 out of 100 counties in travel and tourism expenditures, with Mecklenburg County ranking No. 1.
What do those numbers mean? Travelers brought Iredell County $182.84 million dollars in revenue, $9.69 million in state tax receipts, $5.97 million in local tax receipts and employed 2,070 people with a payroll of $30.46 million.
"Tourism here is doing very well, partly to our location," explained Libba Barrineau, executive director of the Statesville Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Because weíre at the junction of I-77 and I-40, this is a good stopping point for people wanting to spend the night, have a nice meal and wander around to unwind."
"Visitors understand we have a strong economy, which they can see in our hustling and bustling downtown," she said. "Our storefronts are filled, indicating that we have a strong economic climate, one good for doing business." She referred to Site Selection Magazine that recently ranked Statesville-Mooresville second out of 671 cities as having "the most new and expanded corporate facilities" in the country. Judging was based upon the number of new or expanded corporate projects in the municipal area.
"I don't know of any community that has ranked this high on a repeated basis," said Mike Smith, executive director of the Greater Statesville Development Corporation. "We've ranked either first or second 6 times since 1999. With one of the lowest tax rates in the state, I can see why small and micro businesses want to establish themselves here."
Mike Tucker, director of the Small Business Center at Mitchell Community College, said he sees how tourism and small business entrepreneurship are evolving in Iredell County.
"Often retirees will relocate here and then want to go back to work," he said. "They'll take my classes to learn if their idea will be workable and sustainable. Some end up with part-time businesses - others full-time. Yes, we're seeing a lot of visitor turned local business owner."
"We often think of tourists as those people passing through town," Barrineau said. "Many do - but all contribute in one way or another to our economy."
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