Friday 17 May 2013 at 3:38 pm
The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau hosted the first-ever OBX Tourism Summit earlier this month in Avon.
About 100 people attended the two-day event, which ended with a presentation of the preliminary results of a study on the economic impact of Hatteras Island on Dare County’s tourism economy.
Although various folks over the years have culled out nuggets about Hatteras Island’s economic value to the county, this may well be the first-ever formal study of the topic.
The study was commissioned by Dare County’s Tourism Board and carried out by Brent Lane, director of the Center for Competitive Economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Lee Nettles, executive director of the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau explained that after Hurricane Irene, some county and community leaders pressed the tourism board to come to the aid of Hatteras Island whose tourism economy took a beating in the storm.
The Visitors Bureau allotted an additional $250,000 to advertise Hatteras Island. However Nettles said that it quickly became apparent that Hatteras Island had not just an “Irene” issue or an “Irene and Sandy issue.”
“We have issues that are all access related,” Nettles said of Hatteras. Those issues include Highway 12, inlet shoaling, and beach closures.
The final written study will be delivered to the Tourism Board, but Lane gave a presentation of some of the highlights at the Tourism Summit.
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Friday 10 May 2013 at 4:43 pm
Ocracoke is still reeling from last week’s visitors to the island – not from the 400 or so anglers who were there for the 30th annual Ocracoke Village Surf Fishing Tournament but from the visit of two state troopers during the event.
The troopers arrived on Wednesday and left on Saturday morning. They were from Troop A, District 4, based in Washington, N.C.
The tournament began Wednesday evening with fishing on Thursday and Friday and ended with a party and awards on Friday evening.
Over the troopers’ three-day stay, 59 citations were issued, including 32 for not wearing seat belts and five for driving while impaired, First Sgt. Brandon Craft told Island Free Press reporter Connie Leinbach on Monday. Eighteen warnings were given, and only warnings were given for bicycle infractions, such as riding at night without a light.
The State Police spokesman was unapologetic in the interview by Leinbach.
“We knew there would be an influx of traffic that weekend, and when that happens, there’s the increased potential for violations,” Craft said about choosing last week to show up. “Our job is to reduce accidents, deter problems, and be proactive rather than reactive. We arrested five drunk drivers who could have hit a child (or adult) on the road.”
People should respect the law, Craft continued.
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Friday 03 May 2013 at 4:46 pm
Frankly, the editor needs a break from writing this blog.
And we could probably all use a break from more discussion of the challenges facing Hatteras and Ocracoke as we head into the summer season.
I want to say again that Highway 12 is open, the ferries to Ocracoke are running, and businesses are ready for visitors.
Some areas of the seashore beach are closed for resource protection, including perhaps some of your favorite spots such as Cape Point on Hatteras or South Point on Ocracoke, but you can still drive to the beach. And there is plenty of pedestrian access.
I’m going to give you a very quick update on what’s happening out here on the edge, and then throw this blog open to you, our readers, for your opinions and questions.
There is still no news on the Bonner Bridge replacement lawsuit. We can always hope that no news is good news.
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