Higher prices help set new monthly record in July for Dare County occupancy, meals collections

While July was another high water month on the Outer Banks for visitor spending, the latest data indicates the amount of visitors coming to Dare County this summer has declined to a more balanced level and that the record revenues were driven more by higher prices. Total retail sales in June also set a new […]

Real Estate |  Full Article

Dare County occupancy collections hold steady, meals up in June; retail sales dropped in May

From wobx.com It was another strong month in June for occupancy and meals collections in Dare County, but the amount of retail sales in May was off by almost double digits from the previous year. According to reports presented to the Dare County Tourism Board at their August 17 meeting, gross collections on hotel rooms and […]

Local News |  Full Article

Nearly 400 students from around the world keep Food Lion stores on Outer Banks roaring

Almost 400 college students from more than a dozen countries spent their summer vacation on the Outer Banks working in a variety of roles with the region’s largest grocery store chain. Food Lion operates six stores on the Outer Banks in Corolla, Southern Shores, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head and Avon, with over 300 full […]

Island Features |  Full Article

North Carolina leisure and hospitality sector employment now tops pre-pandemic levels

From Wobx.com While the leisure and hospitality industry across the country continues to struggle to fill available jobs, especially in rural counties, the number of people the industry employs in North Carolina has topped pre-pandemic levels. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 553,000 workers in the state’s leisure and hospitality field […]

Local News |  Full Article

Four tropical storms form since Sunday, still nothing expected to threaten Greater Outer Banks

From Wobx.com The peak period of hurricane season activity has arrived in full force, with the formation of four tropical storms between the tropical Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico since Sunday. None of the current activity is forecast to threaten eastern North Carolina, although there could be some increased long-period swells early next week […]

Local News |  Full Article

Visitors spent a record $33.3 billion in N.C. in 2022; Dare County fourth highest at $1.9 billion

From Wobx.com Buoyed by a rebound in the state’s urban centers, and supported by continued high numbers along the coast and the mountains, visitors to North Carolina spent a record $33.3 billion in 2022 according to data released Friday. The preliminary findings from an annual study commissioned by Visit North Carolina reflecting the economic impact […]

Local News |  Full Article

Builders and Shapers: Hatteras Island Community Emergency Response Team

The challenges of living on a sandbar — in some spots less than 100 yards wide — between the Atlantic Ocean and Pamlico Sound — the world’s largest embayed estuary — can at times seem daunting to even the saltiest Hatteras Islander. Hurricane-force winds. Flooding from the ocean. Flooding from the sound. Washed out roads. […]

Local News |  Full Article

Insurance companies ask for another rate hike on rental properties in North Carolina

From Wobx.com Less than eight months after reaching a settlement that raised insurance rates by a statewide average of nearly 10 percent on rental properties, the North Carolina Rate Bureau has asked again to increase the cost of new and renewing policies starting next June by more than half. The N.C. Department of Insurance announced […]

Real Estate |  Full Article