Today marks the opening of High Point’s new Regional Visitors Center, quite an attraction for visitors to our region as well as a source of great pride for those of us who live here. Its vision and purposes closely dovetail with the mission of the NC Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development to promote not only our beloved city, but also our region, and our state as a major destination for leisure travel, group tours, meetings and conventions, sports events, the wine industry and film production.
After a single visit I think you will agree that High Point is increasingly positioned on the cutting edge of developing our city through tourism – a logical solution to leading economic recovery in our city core by generating and supporting lodging, restaurants, entertainment, retail and other businesses that follow the rising tide of tourism.
Our relationship with the NC Division of Tourism and its considerable promotion budget, bodes well for High Point as we develop a visitors center that is unique in many ways.
- We are regional: most visitor centers are city or sometimes county-centric. They only promote themselves. We are perfectly located at the convergence of four interstate highways and other major state highways. High Point is claiming its positioning and leadership as the hub of central Piedmont North Carolina.
- Because we are focused on the visitor experience, our vision is to provide the information necessary in an over-the-top experience to help people plan their trips regionally and state-wide, even if High Point is not the destination.
- This is a first-class, state-of-the-art center from the perspective of our displays, our videos and our technology. Interactive kiosks will provide visitors with information that will make this a must stop when they come to our region.
- Furniture shopping is the No. 1 reason visitors come to High Point. To help consumers navigate our more than 40 retail stores, our kiosks provide information based on the style and type of furniture carried at each store.
- Our Interior Design Services will help consumers identify an area interior designer who can help them with everything from a room design plan to access to showrooms that otherwise are closed to the public.
Tourism is also a good investment. Let me share just a few North Carolina statistics:
- Last year, 52.5 million people visited our state, up nearly 16 percent from 2012.
- They spent more than $55 million per day here, supporting nearly 200,000 jobs across the state.
- Because NC is the 6th most visited state for domestic travel, we believe that this new Regional Visitors Center can and will generate significant dollars for High Point and the surrounding area.
- There’s good reason to invest in tourism. For every $1 invested by the state in paid media advertising, NC receives $191 in new visitor spending, $10.31 in new state taxes and $6.25 in new local taxes. This is nearly a 17 to 1 return on investment of tax dollars by the state.
- This also means that for every $1 invested by the Division of Tourism on paid media advertising, one trip is generated by the state.
- Each NC household saves $435 in state and local taxes as a direct result of visitor spending in the state.
It makes good business and tourism sense for High Point to capitalize on our central location. From here, travelers can reach most of the major attractions in the state in under two hours and within the Triad, under 30 minutes.
Let the fun begin. For more information, call us at 336-884-5255 or better yet, visit us at 1634 N. Main Street in High Point.