<< Back 5/8/02 The right kind of tourism is good for WNC SMN They’re coming. The visitors, that is, the seasonal residents, the heavy-duty vacationers and the weekend trippers. No one is quite sure of the number, but our population increases by the tens of thousands for the next seven months or so. And with these visitors comes a heightened attention to the debate about whether Western North Carolina should go all-out to promote itself as a tourism destination. As a chamber of commerce official told a reporter for a local newspaper the other day, it used to be the mountain tourist season was well-defined. From Memorial Day until mid-October, the number of Florida and Georgia license plates would match those from North Carolina. Now, however, thanks to the work of WNC tourism officials, the season has stretched. Come mid-April, the season has started. It will be upon us until Christmas. The economies of counties in Western North Carolina have become dependent on the dollars the visitors will bring. The state’s annual haul from tourism is about $12 billion per year, and though the coast remains the largest recipient, we are making headway. More and more, people are coming to the mountains. And it is easy to understand why. There is such variety. Whether one is a golfer, a mountain biker, a rock hound, a bird-watcher or interested in the local culture, there is simply no shortage of attractions. On top of all those long-time attractions, throw in a casino in Cherokee that has an average weekly total of 56,437 patrons. Harrah’s has become the state’s most popular tourist attraction, bringing a whole new brand of visitor to the mountains. There are some in the tourism industry who argue that tourism dollars are wonderful because of the low impact visitors have on our region. That argument is mostly true, but there is an impact. Our landfills bear the brunt of the trash, our courts are strained with caseloads compounded by travelers, our police forces are stretched thin and the seasonal residents prompt us to spend money on roads, water and sewer lines to get to the new neighborhoods. Those improvements subsequently drive up housing and property prices, and high property prices are a two-edged sword: yes, the counties and towns get more revenue, but low- and middle-income wage-earners are forced out of the housing market. These debates will continue, but we think the travel industry is a huge plus for our region. What is important is how we manage this industry. We must use those dollars to encourage the brand of tourism that will celebrate Appalachian heritage and not destroy it, that will allow small farmers to thrive and that will protect our natural resource treasures. It’s a matter of doing business the right way, and it’s a lesson we need to embrace.