Long-range tourism panel continues talks on three key topics

The Dare County Tourism Board Special Committee for the Outer Banks Long-Range Tourism Management Plan (LRTMP) held its September meeting at the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau administrative offices on Roanoke Island. The committee divided into three working groups to cover a variety of topics. Discussions included:

Resident and Visitor Engagement

• Ideas to better engage with members of the community about aspects of the Long-Range Tourism Management Plan, including organizing town halls and a resident sentiment survey, leveraging technology and social media, partnering with local businesses and connecting with local youth in the area. The group also briefly discussed the evolution of the Bureau’s voluntourism initiative and potential ways to grow that effort.

Environmental Stewardship

• Ways to encourage events to have a more sustainable footprint and other ways to be lessen their impact on the environment; educating residents and visitors about the unique environment of the Outer Banks; exploring what local organizations and other destinations are doing in terms of sustainability efforts and best practices.

Infrastructure Development

• Communication needs when cable/internet/phone services are out, particularly on Hatteras Island; crosswalks, noting that an accessibility/mobility study could complement the efforts of the NC Department of Transportation; a management study for Pea Island was underway. The group also suggested that the Dare Community Housing Task Force provide the committee with a progress update at a future meeting.

The 22-member panel of various stakeholders was formed to make recommendations to the Dare County Tourism Board for action that came out of the report published in May 2023.

The LRTMP was developed following an 18-month process started by the Dare County Tourism Board and executed by the staff of the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau and partners at MMGY NextFactor and Tourism Economics.