2020 ANNUAL TOURISM REPORT Published February 25, 2021
VisitElizabethCity.com
CONTENTS
Message from Leadership 1 Who is Visit Elizabeth City? 2 Mission & Strategic Priorities 3 Visitor Impact 4 Accolades 5 Marketing Priorities 6 Advertising Investment 7 Advertising Samples 8 Visitors Guide 9 Web Analytics 10-11 Social Media 12 Public Relations 13 Community Engagement 14 Occupancy Taxes 15 Looking Ahead 16 Staff & Board 17
Tourism Matters to Elizabeth City & Pasquotank County, North Carolina Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County make up an amazing region on the cusp of an incredible reconnaissance with growing name recognition and a reputation as The Harbor of Hospitality®. Our destination is synonymous with warmth, rich history, the arts, aviation and maritime industry and is the heartbeat of northeastern North Carolina. On behalf of our Board and our entire team, we want to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing commitment and support of our local tourism industry. The 2019 Pasquotank County visitation figures were our highest on record with visitors contributing $70 million in new spending to our local economy with 6.38% growth in year-over-year total visitor spending. 2020 however, presents a very different story. The classification of the coronavirus as a world-wide pandemic and the declaration of a national emergency in mid-March literally brought the entire tourism industry to a complete halt. Tourism businesses nation-wide endured mandatory shutdowns, stayat-home orders and significant limits on mass gatherings. In Pasquotank County, the Museum of the Albemarle and the Visit Elizabeth City Welcome Center were completely closed for six months from midMarch to mid-September. All major annual events were canceled including Love Your River, TarWheel Cycling Event, ECSU Graduation, the North Carolina Potato Festival, the Coast Guard Half Marathon, the annual Christmas Parade, ECSU Homecoming Week and many more. Many local businesses, both in hospitality and in its supply chain, are still hurting and struggling to make ends meet. Visit Elizabeth City and the entire hospitality community must work tirelessly toward a postCOVID recovery so that tourism can continue to support 500+ Pasquotank County workers who directly interact with visitors as a means of supporting their own families. Despite significant revenue declines in 2020 we successfully earned several substantial COVID relief grants and thankfully were able to offset most of our losses. And while our advertising efforts were minimal from March to August, four months of constant messaging from September to December drove significant awareness of the region and record traffic to our website – even while travel was down. Heading into 2021 our region is primed for success. Top-notch national accolades, new and improved dining options, more shopping, increased activities and experiences throughout the region, plus the launch of a highly-anticipated significant event, all combine to position the Elizabeth City area as a must-see, must-experience destination for years to come. Our mission is to transform into a nationallyrecognized riverfront town, accelerate our economic recovery and position Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County as a world-class place to visit, work and live. Tourism has never been more important to the economic health of our community.
Gwen Sanders, Chair of the Board Corrina Ruffieux, Executive Director
PAGE 1 OF 17
Who is Visit Elizabeth City? The Elizabeth City-Pasquotank County Tourism Development Authority (TDA) is a North Carolina Public Authority under the Local Government Budget and Fiscal Control Act. The official name of the Authority is the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank County Tourism Development Authority, doing business as Visit Elizabeth City. This annual report will summarize the activities and impacts of the TDA in 2020 and serve as an opportunity to assess and adapt efforts for the upcoming year. The COVID-19 pandemic this past year has brought changes and unprecedented challenges to the entire tourism and travel industry, including Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County. The results outlined in this report were directly affected by the continued impacts of the virus and the 2021 objectives will be established with these changes in mind.
What is a DMO? As a Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), our primary role is to tell the story of Elizabeth City by informing, educating and advising potential visitors in collaboration with our community partners. For the community, the role of Visit Elizabeth City is to support and promote. We are here to provide services and promotion for all events and businesses that encourage tourism including but not limited to restaurants, lodging, events, state parks, museums and more.
“
Think of us as a full-service marketing, PR and advertising agency with only one client: The Elizabeth City area Tourism Industry. PAGE 2 OF 17
Our Mission and Vision The mission of the TDA is to promote overnight visitation that drives economic impact through destination marketing and enhancement of the visitor experience in Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County. Through innovative destination marketing, our vision is to become a nationallyrecognized, model historic riverfront destination that drives significant economic impact for Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County and welcomes visitors with world class hospitality and experiences.
Strategic Priorities • • • • •
Support tourism-related product development Create a community culture for the support of tourism Execute intentional and intelligent destination marketing Build organizational capability, resources and professionalism Enhance the impact of current destination investments
PAGE 3 OF 17
2019 Visitor Impact VISITOR SPENDING IN PASQUOTANK COUNTY
$69,840,000 That equals $191,342 spent by travelers every day – in our hotels, B&Bs, restaurants, retail shops, attractions, entertainment, gas stations, grocery stores and more.
ECON OMIC IM PAC T O F TO U RIS M
Employment
Local Taxes
520 Jobs
$1,580,000 Tax Relief per Household
(as a result of taxes generated by tourism)
$380 Source: Visit North Carolina, U.S. Travel Association
State Taxes $3,810,000
PAGE 4 OF 17
2020 Accolades
&
PAGE 5 OF 17
2020 Marketing Priorities • Increase demand for lodging, attraction visits, retail sales, restaurant receipts and other events and activities. • Expand partnerships with local businesses and educate partners about the value of using the DMO as a resource and partner. • Build relationships with the region’s tourism organizations to include Elizabeth City in the coast’s messaging and awareness that “we’re just an hour away”. • Create a wedding campaign that promotes local vendors, encourages overnight visitation, generates revenue and increases exposure for Elizabeth City as a destination. • Launch and capitalize on the existing reputation of the Rose Buddies with an ambassador program.
The above marketing priorities were established directly from our FY 20202021 Marketing Plan adopted in June 2020. With the limitations and impacts on tourism from the COVID-19 pandemic, our marketing focus has shifted. While we still plan to create a wedding campaign and launch an ambassador program for the Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County area, these initiatives have been put on hold until the threat of the virus has substantially decreased.
PAGE 6 OF 17
Advertising Media Investment 2020 CALENDAR YEAR ADVERTISING SPEND *Over $80,000 of this calendar year’s spend was the result of a variety of CARES Act funding (through Pasquotank County Commissioners, Visit NC, North Carolina Legislature & North Carolina Travel Industry Association), allowing us to create solid advertising programs despite funding shortfalls from the pandemic.
Total Estimated Advertising Impressions:
15,357,832 IM PR E SSIONS OVERVI EW
Out-of-Home 2,259,479 Facebook/Instagram Campaigns 677,484 Garden & Gun Magazine 928,234 Google Ads 4,910,000 Our State Magazine 4,501,271 TripAdvisor.com 12,000 Visit NC Programs 1,942,293 WRAL Branded Content 19,070
PAGE 7 OF 17
Ad Samples
Visitors Guide We worked with Lure Creative to design and distribute a brand new visitor’s guide for travelers. Visitors can find the guide on our website as well as in the Mariners’ Wharf kiosk, Welcome Center front desk and various Welcome Centers across North Carolina and Virginia. The guide includes information about Christmas in Elizabeth City, Lodging, Where to Eat and Drink, Things to Do and more.
DISTRIBUTION 20,000 to various NC Visitor & Welcome Centers 13,000 to the Tidewater Area of VA 2,000 to the Outer Banks 5,000 remaining to send as needed
EliEzaliEbzleaitbzhaetbCheittChyiCtyity
OFF OIC IAIC FF LIA VL ISV ITORS G OFFICIAL VISITORSISITOR SUID GUEIDE GUIDE
190
321
requests for printed copy
email opt-ins
Explore Exploo ur Eqxupq aloin our re & otuinrvreitin atin g quaincto&u & in a v s in ta v g n iting w aslit tto ain coastacloto l t wn own
3,349
online visitors guide views
PAGE 9 OF 17
Vis isit itEli l zabe etth hC Ciitty.com VisitEliziab b y.com ethCit y.c om
VisitElizabethCity.com WEBSITE ANALYTICS
Total Sessions
Page Views
152,227
302,293
Time on Site: 1:29
Pages Per Visit: 1.99
HOW WE DRIVE VISITORS TO THE WEBSITE
67% of website visits were from a mobile device.
101,882 total mobile sessions. TOP STATES OF ORIGIN
1
NORTH CAROLINA
2 3 4 5
VIRGINIA
SOURCE: GOOGLE ANALYTICS JAN. 1 - DEC. 31, 2020
WASHINGTON DC
GEORGIA
FLORIDA
PAGE 10 OF 17
VisitElizabethCity.com WEBSITE ANALYTICS CONTINUED
Top 5 Pages Visited (not including the home page)
1. Events 2. Shop & Dine Pass 3. Harbor Cam 4. Christmas 5. Travel Advisory
This top-performing page was launched in November 2020!
We increased year-over-year (YoY) traffic to VisitEizabethCity.com by 67% in the last four months of 2020 with a strong and consistent advertising campaign across a variety of channels including digital, OOH, retargeting, native advertising and social. Not only did this success drive significant awareness of the region, it also drove record breaking traffic to our website – which is pretty remarkable in a travel-depressed economy. Of significant note, the brand new page for the digital Shop & Dine Pass ranked as the second most visited page on our website for the calendar year 2020. The page launched with a strategic advertising campaign on November 23, so was only live for 6 weeks out of the entire year.
TOTAL UNIQUE WEBSITE VISITS -23 %
2019
2020
JANUARY - AUGUST SOURCE: GOOGLE ANALYTICS JAN. 1 - DEC. 31, 2020
7% 6 +
2019
2020
SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER
PAGE 11 OF 17
Social Media Facebook
Visit Elizabeth City
Instagram @VisitECity
YouTube
@VisitECity
2020 ANALYTICS
YOUTUBE
SOCIAL
FOLLOWERS
FOLLOWERS
FOLLOWERS
REFERRALS TO THE WEBSITE
19,007
2021
83
ENGAGEMENTS
ENGAGEMENTS
IMPRESSIONS
22,491 +151% YoY
12,194 +1.4% YoY
9k +69% YoY
FOLLOWERS ARE
FOLLOWERS ARE
71% Women 29% Men
68.4% Women 31.6% Men
WATCH TIME
33.3 HOURS +69% YoY
18,793
+90% YoY
PAGE 12 OF 17
Public Relations
Leveraging a first-time ever opportunity, we partnered with the nationally recognized, awardwinning public relations firm MMGY NJF for the last three months of 2020. Our efforts and unique creative campaigns garnered significant coverage in both regional and national publications; generating awareness of and promoting interest in travel to the Elizabeth City region.
THE TEAMS WORKED IN THREE DIFFERENT PROGRAM AREAS
1
“Calling All Elizabeths” Promotion: A first of its kind quirky package created in partnership with dozens of local businesses and pushed out to regional and national media outlets.
“Cozy Up with Elizabeth City” Media Mailer: A charming assortment of unique, locally sourced gifts that were sent directly to 11 regional and national journalists to excite them about the destination and invite them to visit.
News Bureau: We developed at least two pitches per month that helped to align Elizabeth City with major trends in travel, current events and holidays. For accolades recieved in 2020 refer to page 5.
MEDIA IMPRESSIONS MEDIA PLACEMENTS
25
431,879,260
SOCIAL MEDIA IMPRESSIONS
ADVERTISING EQUIVALENCY
$8,637,585
27,113 PAGE 13 OF 17
Community Engagement As with many things in 2020, our plans for community engagement were changed by the impacts of COVID-10. While our plans for increased partner outreach and engagement that were put on hold, it initiated the launch our partner emails and partner-facing Facebook page, allowing us to continue to communication digitally.
NEW TOURISM PARTNER FACEBOOK PAGE CREATED MARCH 19, 2020
PAGE FOLLOWS
POST REACH
ENGAGEMENTS
580
22,577
3,181
NEW TOURISM PARTNER EMAIL OUTREACH CREATED APRIL 23, 2020
EMAILS SENT
CONTACTS
19
220
Partner Education Webinars 11/2/2020
Online Reputation Management and Virtual Customer Engagement Tools for Small Business
11/16/2020 COVID-19 Recovery Framework for Tourism and Hospitality Businesses
Google My Business We worked with Miles Partnership to audit local businesses and identify those with missing/incomplete information or unclaimed Google My Business listings. Tokens were generated and sent to 40 individual businesses with information and guidance on how to claim and manage their profiles.
PAGE 14 OF 17
2020 Occupancy Taxes Visit Elizabeth City is funded solely by occupancy tax collections – paid for by visitors who spend the night in one of our lodging properties, whether hotel, B&B or short-term rental. This 6% tax data is a reflection on both the overall health or our region’s economy and our efforts to drive new and increased visitation. 2020 is of course an anomaly compared to other years due to forced travel restrictions imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Comparing our year-over-year collections by category, we note the significant majority of revenue comes via visitors staying in our hotel properties. However – it’s worth pointing out that despite the overall decrease in 2020 revenues, the short-term rental category continues to grow at strong pace.
PAGE 15 OF 17
Looking Ahead 2020 will undoubtedly be a year we will never forget. At the outset, this year offered tremendous promise and potential, coming off the heels of a record breaking 2019. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has disrupted the progress underway and significantly affected our economic growth. Yet despite this longer-than-anticipated pause in our tourism economy, we remain confident, committed and determined to rebound from this setback. Many experts suggest the national tourism economy may not fully recover for 2-3 years. Additionally, research confirms that traveler habits, preferences and decision-making are changing quickly and this will likely continue for the foreseeable future. Visit Elizabeth City will continue to leverage all available research; ensure our content and messaging adapts to the travel consumers’ ever-changing needs; and continue outreach to the local community, elected officials and our tourism partners as we continue driving increased economic impact for Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County on our collaborative journey to become a nationally recognized model historic waterfront community.
IMPORTANT ELEMENTS FOR 2021 • Leverage outdoor and socially-distanced safe activities until all health restrictions are removed • Partner with Visit NC as much as possible, maximizing the reach and affordable programs the state office of tourism offers • Continue with the significant success of specific programs including the Shop & Dine Pass, Our E-City and Christmas in Elizabeth City • Considering the incredible success of a fully integrated, multi-channel marketing campaign for the latter 4 months of 2020, incorporate as much consistent cross-channel advertising as budget allows going forward • Ensure we review and assess our 2019 adopted strategic plan to both stay on track and make changes and improvements as necessary
PAGE 16 OF 17
Staff and Board Directory The Elizabeth City-Pasquotank County Tourism Development Authority is composed of a board of directors that represent the hospitality industry, City and County partners and a four-person staff.
Board of Directors Gwen Sanders Chair Hospitality Partner
Barry Overman Pasquotank County County Commissioner
Abel Sutton Vice-Chair Hospitality Partner
Andy Montero Hospitality Partner
Rhonda Twiddy Immediate Past Chair Hospitality Partner Arthur McPherson Treasurer Lodging Industry
Dean Schaan Lodging Industry Linea Johnson Lodging Industry Sheri Small Finance Officer, Ex-Officio
Johnnie Walton Elizabeth City City Councilor
Staff Corrina Ruffieux Executive Director
Breanna Brower Marketing and Communications Specialist
Susan Hartley Administrative Assistant
Carrie Barker Communications and Website Assistant PAGE 17 OF 17
Annual Report Published 2/25/2021