Research
Research provides critical information that shapes the strategic direction of Visit North Carolina, the public-private organization that manages the task of marketing North Carolina as a visitor destination under contract with the N.C. Department of Commerce.
The state’s marketing, communications, tourism advocacy and customer service efforts are based on ongoing strategic market research. The Visit North Carolina research team works closely with third-party research organizations and government agencies to monitor North Carolina domestic and international visitation, identify trends and disseminate timely relevant data to decision and policy makers.
With data from the research team, program areas and industry partners can tactically plan, implement and evaluate processes and programs. As well, the research helps policy makers make strategic decisions about the long-term health of tourism, assess capital investment and gauge the amount of government support.
Objectives
- Increase awareness and understanding of the impact of tourism on North Carolina’s residents and businesses
- Provide data on the impact of tourism at the state and local levels.
- Provide partners tourism research and current statistics to assist with strategic marketing of their businesses and destinations.
Target Audience
Profile:
North Carolina travel industry partners, government officials and affiliate businesses
Insight:
Many North Carolina destination marketing organizations and related business entities do not have the ability or funding to contract their own local research, and thus rely on Visit North Carolina for competitive analysis data and interpretation. Officials and residents who are not directly employed in the tourism sector often lack the understanding of the impact of tourism or do not have access to tourism research statistics and studies.