Dare County Occupancy and Meals Income Rises in March; Tourism Board Updates Strategic Goals

Dare County, NC – A Reset on Visitation Numbers Continues

According to a report to the Dare County Tourism Board ahead of their mid-May meeting, both occupancy and meals income were on the rise in March. However, total numbers for the year to this point suggest a continued reset of visitation to the Outer Banks.

At the same time, retail sales figures trended downwards for a consecutive month. The Tourism Board also announced that progress is being made on updating its three-year strategic goals.

Rising Occupancy and Meals Figures

Data from the report issued at the May 16 meeting showed that a total of $23,855,777 was collected at Dare County accommodations in March, reflecting a 4.12% increase from the year prior. While this was the second-highest gross occupancy collection ever for a month of March, the trends remain down for the year by 24.36% compared to last year’s figures.

Meanwhile, meals revenue rose slightly in March, reaching $19,422,840 to set a new record for March, a 1.95% increase from last year’s high mark. Meal sales through the first three months of this year were reported to be somewhat down, yet they have risen by 60.4% compared to the same period in 2019.

Downwards Trend in Retail Sales

On the downside, retail sales in Dare County for February totaled $5,519,719, a second straight month of decline over the previous year. A five-year streak came to an end of new record-high figures being set for February. However, overall retail sales in 2023 did set a new all-time high, marking a growth streak for the fourth consecutive year.

Tourism Board Updates Its Strategic Goals

Apart from these financial figures, the May 17 meeting also included an announcement from Lee Nettles, the Executive Director of the Visitors Bureau. He informed the board about the progress being made on updating their three-year strategic goals.

Lee Nettles said that the last time this was done was in the fall of 2020, amidst the explosion in visitation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They were also in the midst of relaunching a website redesign and had just launched an event grant program.

The current discussions on the update include the possible use of artificial intelligence, the proposed Event Center and boardwalk at The Soundside in Nags Head, and promoting the Outer Banks for off-peak months of visitation.

He concluded that a complete rundown on these three-year goals can now be found on the visitors bureau website.