A. Destination McDowell Fact Sheet

TOURISM MASTER PLAN

FACT SHEET

PLAN GOALS

ASSETS. Identify the County’s existing tourism assets and evaluate their current condition and ability to provide for a quality visitor experience.

PARTNERS. Engage government and community leaders to identify public capital infrastructure projects currently being planned and developed, which will also enhance the visitor experience.

GAPS. Identify new, compelling tourism-infrastructure projects to further the County’s visitor brand position.

UNITY. When possible, identify tourism projects that support other community goals, including: Improving quality of life to retain young adults and attract a skilled workforce; inspiring new small business growth and investment; improving and protecting environmental quality; and encouraging active lifestyles to support public health.

VISUAL. Create a plan that generates interest and inspires the community around a unified vision by creating compelling renderings, site master plans, 3-D illustrations, and other graphics to effectively communicate recommendations.

STRATEGY. Provide the MCTDA and its partners with clear strategies and a prioritization schedule for implementing the 15-year master plan. 1) Research and Preliminary Analysis The consultant team will conduct a direction-setting meeting with the MCTDA project steering committee to discuss key opportunities and constraints, develop a database of existing tourism assets, and conduct an extensive field analysis to assess the County’s assets.

2) Stakeholder and Public Engagement Conduct a series of interviews and focus groups meetings with civic leaders and tourism-related businesses. Disseminate an online survey to be advertised on Facebook that encourages citizens to share their ideas and help establish the overall project direction.

3) Plan Development With guidance from the steering committee, stakeholders, and citizens, the consultant team will create a plan framework that features preliminary recommendations for improving and expanding the County’s tourism-related assets. The consultant team will then conduct another round of public engagement.

4) Final Plan Development The final 15-year tourism infrastructure master plan will feature all recommendations, a phasing schedule, an estimate of probable cost, and an outline of grant funding sources. Copies of the plan will be available for the public to view on the MCTDA website.

CONTACT

Eric Woolridge, AICP

President Destination by Design Planning 828-719.1109 eric@DbDplanning.com

Carol Price

Executive Director McDowell County Tourism Authority 828-668-4282 execdirector@blueridgetravelers.com

The McDowell County Tourism Development Authority (MCTDA) is responsible for managing occupancy tax revenues obtained from visitors staying in the County’s shortterm lodging establishments.

According to its enabling legislation, the MCTDA must use these funds to market and promote the County to attract visitors. In addition, the MCTDA may use up to one-third of these funds to invest in “tourism-related capital infrastructure” projects. These capital investments often include trails, greenways, cultural/historic attractions, agri-tourism,destination-quality parks, attractive downtowns, and the creation of multi-use public spaces suitable for major events and festivals.

The purpose of the McDowell County Tourism Master Plan is to create a 15-year roadmap to ensure the MCTDA effectively stewards its capital infrastructure program through strategic decision-making and investments.

THE PLANNING PROCESS