Minutes 04-23-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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d.) County and Town Tourism Activities Updates Visitor's Bureau Director, Laurie Paolicelli, said that Hillsborough is enjoying a great deal of positive press in the realm of tourism. She said most visitors come for a day, and this trend is mostly due to the lack of local hotel rooms. She distributed a hand out on the Bureau's activities. Laurie Paolicelli said in February 2015, the Bureau made a presentation to the Chamber of Commerce. She said the Chamber of Commerce requested to know how the 1,623 hotel rooms in Orange County, and the 1,000 hotel rooms in the pipeline in Durham, impacted the economy in Hillsborough. She commented on AirBnB and their negative impact. She said the State of North Carolina will be seeking to regulate usage of AirBnB. She said Hillsborough has 427 private homeowners that rent their homes out to visitors. She said these private homes erode both the Bed and Breakfast and traditional hotel markets. She said on May 7th, the Chapel Hill Chamber of Commerce is bringing in the President of the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Issue to discuss the impact on Orange County. She said AirBnB has eradicated the need for traditional Bed and Breakfasts. Laurie Paolicelli mentioned the following projects on which the Bureau is currently working: • Prototype for Hillsborough — an app and brochure being created with Annie Baggett around a "handmade and homegrown" tourism marketing campaign. • How and where to put a visitor kiosk at the new UNC Hospital in Hillsborough. She said there is currently no visitor information there and this will be a new point of entry to Hillsborough. • Working closely with Ayr Mount and Moorefields and the rich history offered within Hillsborough. • Genealogy series interviewing locals on the history of Orange County. Laurie Paolicelli said Hillsborough will be seen in many state ads and other state tourism magazines. She added overall press is very positive at this time. She expressed the Bureau's desire to be an ongoing partner to the Town and the County. Jenn Weaver said she understands how AirBnB could hurt the local Bed and Breakfast and the traditional hotel community, but wonders if AirBnB can also bring in people that may not be able come here otherwise by lowering the cost of a trip. Laurie Paolicelli said this argument is made every day. She said with the current lack of hotels in Hillsborough, AirBnB certainly does bring people to the area. She added that there are also some very scary stories surrounding AirBnB and the difficulty of removing tenants or damage done to homes. She said in this regards, it hurts the community and hurts businesses that follow the rules regarding health, safety and ADA guidelines. Mayor Stevens said he had an opportunity to work with a group called the Mayor's Innovation Project, including Mayors from around the Country. He said this group has taken up the issues of Uber and AirBnB, both of which are national issues. He said there is growing consensus about bringing these businesses into the regulatory body to insure appropriate taxation and safety measures. Kathleen Ferguson asked if the impact of AirBnB, on local hotels, is known. Laurie Paolicelli said in towns with small hotels, or solely Bed and Breakfast establishments, Airbnb have practically killed the industry. She said in Orange County there are full service hoteliers. She said these hoteliers report small erosion at this time, but this may change in the future.