Agenda - 02-20-1996 - VII-A - Laserfiche WebLink

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3 Justification for Increasing the Tax_ The marketing committee of the Visitors Bureau(under the leadership of Chapel Hill council person Lee Pavao)met individually with area hoteliers in the spring of 1995 to assess the effectiveness of the Visitors Bureau. Hoteliers expressed overwhelming support and agreed the Bureau's programs had been effective. When asked whether there were other programs that should be implemented,hoteliers expressed a desire to see additional sales and marketing activities that would attract groups and individuals to the area. Hoteliers also agreed to support an increase(to 2%) in the occupancy tax to pay for the additional programs provided that all of the proceeds were dedicated to the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau. The staff of two at the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau currently implements more than 50 programs and strategies each year to increase the amount of visitor spending in the community. Additional sales and marketing activities would be impossible without additional resources to invest in both personnel and programs of a reduction in the number of existing programs. The number of clients served each year by the bureau has increased more than 400% in 3 years and will continue to do so as the bureau becomes more established as a resource for meeting planners and visitors. The following activities would be implemented with a dedicated 2%occupancy tax. These programs would help increase hotel occupancy during shoulder seasons(non-peak times)thereby increasing visitor spending in the community and increasing retail sales. • Hire a director of sales to attract state,regional, national and international conferences to the county, participate in trade shows, and manage sales promotions. • Increase participation in trade shows that are likely to generate group business. (We currently participate in two trade shows each year, this would likely increase to at least six.) • Coordinate community-wide promotions to showcase our facilities and encourage meeting planners to schedule conferences in our community. • Initiate a comprehensive advertising campaign to select markets. • Participate in state and regional cooperative projects that will increase our visibility as a meeting and visitor destination. • Devise and implement programs geared toward local meeting planners(UNC and other)to encourage them to hold conferences in Orange County. • Print additional collateral materials to service the visitors who are coming to Orange County. • Increase the number of services provided to groups,particularly in the area of coordinating local transportation from hotels to meeting facilities(to foster a hassle-free visit while minimizing impact on local roads.) • Increase public relations efforts to make the community aware of the visitors bureau and the services provided. We believe that if implemented, these activities will result in increased sales for existing businesses (particularly small businesses such as retail stores,gas stations and restaurants),increased visitations at local attractions, art museums,festivals and events, and an increase in the amount of tax dollars being returned to the community.