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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: October 7, 2008 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. ~'~ <br />SUBJECT: Recognition of Visitors Bureau Awards <br />DEPARTMENT: Chapel Hill/Orange County PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />Visitors Bureau <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Press Release Announcement <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Laurie Paolicelli, 968-2060 <br />PURPOSE: To recognize the Orange County Visitors Bureau for being awarded six travel and <br />tourism awards by industry colleagues across the region at the annual North Carolina tourism <br />conference held this summer. <br />BACKGROUND: The Visitors Bureau received honors for its Visitors Guide, Website, Meeting <br />Planner Promotion, and tourism direct mail campaigns. The Orange County tourism materials <br />were voted the best in their field by a panel of experts. <br />The Visitors Bureau was created by the Orange County Commissioners in 1992 to increase <br />tourism to Orange County. The tourism sector has grown 5-7% each year since that time. The <br />Visitors Bureau continues to market the assets of Orange County, growing spending and bring <br />new tour bus groups, events and conferences to the County. <br />FINANCIAL IMPACT: The Visitors Bureau is funded through a hotel occupancy tax paid by <br />visitors who stay at Orange County hotels. The Bureau annually spends $250,000 on <br />marketing, and visitors to Orange County spent $137 million in 2007 according to the North <br />Carolina Department of Commerce. <br />RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board join the Manager in <br />recognizing the Visitors Bureau staff for its hard work. Visitors Bureau staff including Director <br />Laurie Paolicelli, Linda Ekeland, Patty Griffin, Dale Chodorow, Tina Fuller and Susan Rice are <br />planning to attend the meeting. <br />