British Youtubers Visit Charlotte

[KJHburg]

Our favorite British tourists attend a Charlotte Checkers game and they start to go in Ovens Auditorium finally make  it to the Bojangles Arena and Joels first comment there is a car on the ice! LOL

 

someone at the game recommended they go to 2 of my favorites maybe it was me Krispy Kreme and shakes from Cook Out! 

eating at Bojangles at the coliseum! 

[KJHburg]

throwing balls on the pitch.... a quote about the hockey game LOL 

after the game they went to Bojangles!   " a most North Carolinian thing" their quote

 

[KJHburg]

they for some reason think the biscuits are not on the menu at Bojangles.....

[CLTProductions]

 "there really is nothing to do" 

[Richhamleigh, DC]

49 minutes ago, Jt282506 said:

 "there really is nothing to do" 

Boring people who. Ant find something to do in Charlotte?   By their critique, the only cities worth visiting I. The US are NY, LA, Chicago, DC and Boston.  Thi k about it...  what is there to do in most US cities after you've exhausted the bars and night clubs (looking at you Nashville and Austin).

[Richhamleigh, DC]

1 hour ago, Phillydog said:

Boring people who. Ant find something to do in Charlotte?   By their critique, the only cities worth visiting I. The US are NY, LA, Chicago, DC and Boston.  Thi k about it...  what is there to do in most US cities after you've exhausted the bars and night clubs (looking at you Nashville and Austin).

FWIW, Charlotte already has the makings of one of the most unique tourist destinations in the country if not the world. The rail trail is one of the most appealing areas of Charlotte and the one place that I always take visitors to. Everyone loves it. Now imagine the rail Corridor extending from say Sedgwick to Noda and divided into three character areas each with its own unique features character and branding. A tourist could walk it bike or scooter it or take trains hopping from Station to Station and having a unique experience at each destination. Between the primary destinations...South end,, Uptown, optimist hall,, Noda, there are parks, residential and hotels, features reenforcing the links between nodes.  I really think that this corridor is where Charlotte should be investing public money on museums and attractions to reinforce the vibrancy of the character areas.  Charlotte doesn't have a waterfrint...it has something much cooler.

Edited May 21, 2022 by Phillydog

[CLTProductions]

18 hours ago, Phillydog said:

FWIW, Charlotte already has the makings of one of the most unique tourist destinations in the country if not the world. The rail trail is one of the most appealing areas of Charlotte and the one place that I always take visitors to. Everyone loves it. Now imagine the rail Corridor extending from say Sedgwick to Noda and divided into three character areas each with its own unique features character and branding. A tourist could walk it bike or scooter it or take trains hopping from Station to Station and having a unique experience at each destination. Between the primary destinations...South end,, Uptown, optimist hall,, Noda, there are parks, residential and hotels, features reenforcing the links between nodes.  I really think that this corridor is where Charlotte should be investing public money on museums and attractions to reinforce the vibrancy of the character areas.  Charlotte doesn't have a waterfrint...it has something much cooler.

Oh I don't agree with them, just found it funny. They didn't go to Carowinds. They didn't go to the White Water Center. They didn't go to Crowders. Yeah there isn't many tourist destinations in the 'downtown proper' area but yeah, if you take out the LAs, NYCs, Miamis, Bostons, Chicagos...there really isnt much to do in any peer city either. 

[KJHburg]

Or Reed Gold Mine, Lake Norman, Charlotte motor speedway for a lap around the speedway etc. 

I still think it is telling that he said of the cities they visited in the USA this is the only one he could imagine himself living in.   

and they were going to Asheville which I found interesting.  In the 40 under 40 in the Charlotte Biz Journal that was ranked as their favorite day trip to Asheville.   We have a great location 2 hours to the mountains, 3 hours to the beach.

[CLT2014]

I think their visit shows how car dependent Charlotte is and how you are basically stranded in a very small area if you don't have one. There are many other things to do in Charlotte, but those aren't easily accessible without a car and we don't have tourism companies running shuttles out to the Whitewater Center, et.. which makes this a tough area to get to know as an international tourist.

Edited May 22, 2022 by CLT2014

[KJHburg]

I have never heard Lowes pronounced as 2 syllables until our Brits did it.   Yes all our appliances are bigger as our grills.

 

[LKN704]

Them visiting Charlotte would be like an American going to visit Sheffield or Nottingham in England. They aren't bad cities (they are actually quite nice), but rather boring and unnecessary to visit for foreigners. It's just that most things in each city secondary/tertiary city are simply built for residents, not tourists. I like to give the South End as a good example of that. The South End looks exactly like every other gentrified neighborhood with TODs going up in secondary American cities...IMO if you have been to one, you have been to them all. 

The first tourism issue with most secondary/tertiary US cities (as well as most secondary/tertiary cities in other countries) is that they lack tourist attractions that will appeal to everyone and for the most part, the attractions serve a rather niche market...the Reed Gold Mine and the Charlotte Motor Speedway (both mentioned above) are two good examples of attractions that I would label as "niche". A good number of tourists (certainly a good number/majority of foreign tourists) likely have no desire to visit either. This contrasts with the more tourist-friendly cities of the US (Boston, NY, DC, LA, SF, Chicago, maybe Seattle) where there are heaps of attractions that will please everyone, regardless of interests or personal tastes. The lack of extensive public transit in most secondary/tertiary US cities only contributes to this issue. 

That isn't to say that there aren't great attractions in Charlotte...there are. Personally I enjoy the WW Center, Carowinds, and the Bechtler, but not everyone likes amusement park rides, modern art, or outdoor high-intensity attractions. I don't view Lake Norman as an attraction per se, as you need a car to go there, and once there, what is one going to do? Renting a boat is expensive (and challenging if you have never driven a boat before), and Lake Norman State Park/Ramsey Creek are kinda underwhelming/boring. 

The second tourism issue with most secondary/tertiary US cities is they don't know how to market themselves correctly. If done correctly, cities can market themselves away from the lack of attractions for everyone. IMO, Austin has done a pretty good job with this. They launched an impressive marketing campaign during the 1990s that has slowly paid off. Austin's brand awareness internationally is probably now up there with Dallas and Houston, despite both Dallas and Houston being significantly larger. Foreign tourists and airlines are flocking to the region in droves...the Germans and the Dutch love visiting Austin and the surrounding Hill Country. While Austin (IMO) still suffers from the first issue I discussed above (most attractions are based around music or Texas/Lone Star culture), the city was able to market itself away from that and transform it's image into something less hick and country, but rather cool, hip, and trendy. 

[KJHburg]

the way to market Charlotte internationally would be the city is a great jumping off point to see the Carolinas.  (which of course it is)  Mountains 2 hours away and Great smoky mountain national park 3 hours away is a leader in biodiversity worldwide.  Our beaches and coastal towns and cities  are beautiful.  (Charleston, Wilmington, etc) Golf we got a lot of that here in the area and also in nearby Pinehurst just over an hour away.   Most anyone coming from Europe to Charlotte has been to the world cities with their big tourist draws and is looking for something different. 

[LKN704]

3 hours ago, KJHburg said:

the way to market Charlotte internationally would be the city is a great jumping off point to see the Carolinas.  (which of course it is)  Mountains 2 hours away and Great smoky mountain national park 3 hours away is a leader in biodiversity worldwide.  Our beaches and coastal towns and cities  are beautiful.  (Charleston, Wilmington, etc) Golf we got a lot of that here in the area and also in nearby Pinehurst just over an hour away.   Most anyone coming from Europe to Charlotte has been to the world cities with their big tourist draws and is looking for something different. 

IMO, that would be a horrible way to market Charlotte. What would the slogan be..."We might not be worth a visit, but don't worry, we have beaches and mountains nearby!" 

No European with the discretionary income to fly across the Atlantic is going to go to Wilmington or Gatlinburg (aka the Myrtle Beach of the Mountains), or to play golf in Pinehurst. Frankly the only destination in the Carolinas that attracts European tourism en masse is Charleston, which legitimately has a strong tourism sector.  Comparing Wilmington to Charleston is like comparing a Motel 6 to an Aman or Four Seasons resort. 

Outside of Hilton Head, Charleston (I believe) is the only city in the Carolinas to have large scale, luxury resort complexes (Wild Dunes, Kiawah, etc.). Most NC beach resorts are small and/or dumpy, and some NC beach towns (Outer Banks) really lack resorts all together, with the only accommodations being Vrbos and rentals. I get that people would understandably be against their development, but I genuinely think the lack of large, luxury resorts on the NC coast has prevented NC's tourism industry from reaching its full potential. 

Case in point: My parents visited the Outer Banks last summer for the first time. My mother has really been wanting to visit for a while, so she was excited for the visit. They don't like vacation rentals, and prefer to stay in resorts. They want daily maid service, a pool with waiter service, golf course, don't want to worry about doing dishes/setting up linens...that sort of thing. There just aren't a lot of options on the Banks, and they ended up staying at the Sanderling Resort in Duck, before staying at some Hampton Inn near Corolla. They hated the Sanderling. They said the whole place was rundown and sad (my mom said it reminded her of the 1980s). While both areas were lovely, they thought there wasn't a lot to do, and they didn't like that really the only restaurant options were those specializing in deep fried seafood. At the end, they decided to leave and drive back to Charlotte a day early.  

[KJHburg]

I totally disagree with above statement. There are plenty of HIGH end resorts in NC mountains including Asheville like the Biltmore estate hotels and the Grove Park Inn.   Not every Euro zone tourist wants to head to Disney and Universal in Orlando but they sure do in droves.  and yes Hilton Head,  Kiawah, Wild Dunes are great SC resorts.  How many times does an Euro tourist need to see Disney and the Orlando attractions?  NC can and does attract European golfers to Pinehurst.  Golfing here is much cheaper than most places in the world. When I said NC mountains I meant Highlands, Blowing Rock, Asheville not some place like Gatlinburg which is in TN.  

EVERYTIME I had gone to Europe (Ireland, Spain, France, UK, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands etc) I have entered the gateway city and stayed a few days and went to the more rural areas.  As for France I would not stay more than a night or two in Paris and I head to the Normandy coast. In Spain I spent a few days in Madrid and headed out the city for the rest of the trip.  Dittos in Germany and Ireland.  Not everyone wants to stay in a 5 star resort on every trip even if they can afford it.  

[CLT2014]

Our mountains are nice for the East Coast.... but I don't know if many people would fly all the way across the world to see them and they are highly seasonal. Heck... you don't even have many Americans that fly across the USA to see them. Most people are overwhelmingly visiting the Appalachian from states in driving distance because going to Boone is easier / cheaper than going to Glacier National Park. You don't see demand for nonstop flights from Asheville to cities in Mountain or Pacific time, but airports like Reno, Vail, and Jackson Hole have service across the country.  Even in its current state, the Asheville area rarely is full of the tour buses, international visitors, et... that are so popular at top destinations like Yosemite, Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone, Glacier, et... 

So basically I just don't see people taking a 10 hour flight to go to see the Appalachian Mountains in mass. If you are going to spend a lot of money to go visit a country as large / spectacular as the USA, you have to really focus your search and international tourists looking for mountains have picked the Rocky Mountains or Sierra Nevada Mountains (Yosemite). The other downside is there is no winter ski season in the Appalachian to attract international visitors for half the year, whereas the Rockies, Sierras, et.. can offset the winter drop with luxury ski travel. 

This is also backed by data. While Great Smoky Mountains is #1 national park for domestic visitors, it only ranks #15 for international. #1 is Grand Canyon and #2 is Yosemite for international. 
https://usa.visa.com/partner-with-us/visa-consulting-analytics/western-us-national-parks-popular-with-foreign-tourists.html

Edited June 2, 2022 by CLT2014

[videtur quam contuor]

I stayed at the Sanderling four years ago and the remoteness was the attraction. To be at the Banks and be away from beach madness is a special attraction. This was early May and some restaurants and shops not open. So much the better. We took a Hummer ride onto the north Banks to find wild horses and some strange home locations. So far off the end of rte 12 that venturing out and home after dark is discouraged. Once across the dune and on open beach one can become lost so easily and also strike debris uncovered in the sand. We made a foray one day to Manteo and Wright Brothers Kill Devil monument but the rest of the time was enjoying the Inn, the history of the lifesaving stations, the surf.  No golf course, not a golfer.

Chacun a son gout

edit: The Outer Banks are a lo-o-o-o-ng way from Charlotte

Edited June 2, 2022 by tarhoosier

[KJHburg]

I forgot about another group that does not stay in high end resorts who comes from Europe to our mountains.  Motorcyclists love the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Dragon near Fontana and they stay at hotels and do long trips around the mountains.  They rent bikes in Asheville and they are companies set up to do this.  I have had seen many of them and usually in groups too. 

Marketing NC to British tourists

https://www.visittheusa.co.uk/state/north-carolina?_ga-ft=1YcFlo.0.0.0.0.1G5A49u-1PGXG4q.0.0

https://www.visittheusa.de/state/north-carolina?_ga-ft=1YcFmR.0.0.0.0.1G5A49u-1PGXG4q.0.0  in German

https://www.visittheusa.mx/state/carolina-del-norte?_ga-ft=1YcFnU.0.0.0.0.1G5A49u-1PGXG4q.0.0  to spanish speakers.  

a lot of tourists from Europe have been there done that to US's big cities Miami, NYC, DC and are looking for new destinations.  

Edited June 2, 2022 by KJHburg

[LKN704]

5 hours ago, KJHburg said:

I forgot about another group that does not stay in high end resorts who comes from Europe to our mountains.  Motorcyclists love the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Dragon near Fontana and they stay at hotels and do long trips around the mountains.  They rent bikes in Asheville and they are companies set up to do this.  I have had seen many of them and usually in groups too. 

Marketing NC to British tourists

https://www.visittheusa.co.uk/state/north-carolina?_ga-ft=1YcFlo.0.0.0.0.1G5A49u-1PGXG4q.0.0

https://www.visittheusa.de/state/north-carolina?_ga-ft=1YcFmR.0.0.0.0.1G5A49u-1PGXG4q.0.0  in German

https://www.visittheusa.mx/state/carolina-del-norte?_ga-ft=1YcFnU.0.0.0.0.1G5A49u-1PGXG4q.0.0  to spanish speakers.  

a lot of tourists from Europe have been there done that to US's big cities Miami, NYC, DC and are looking for new destinations.  

6 hours ago, KJHburg said:

I totally disagree with above statement. There are plenty of HIGH end resorts in NC mountains including Asheville like the Biltmore estate hotels and the Grove Park Inn.   Not every Euro zone tourist wants to head to Disney and Universal in Orlando but they sure do in droves.  and yes Hilton Head,  Kiawah, Wild Dunes are great SC resorts.  How many times does an Euro tourist need to see Disney and the Orlando attractions?  NC can and does attract European golfers to Pinehurst.  Golfing here is much cheaper than most places in the world. When I said NC mountains I meant Highlands, Blowing Rock, Asheville not some place like Gatlinburg which is in TN.  

EVERYTIME I had gone to Europe (Ireland, Spain, France, UK, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands etc) I have entered the gateway city and stayed a few days and went to the more rural areas.  As for France I would not stay more than a night or two in Paris and I head to the Normandy coast. In Spain I spent a few days in Madrid and headed out the city for the rest of the trip.  Dittos in Germany and Ireland.  Not everyone wants to stay in a 5 star resort on every trip even if they can afford it.  

The Discover America site has a profile of every US state/territory in a variety of different worldwide sites and languages...https://www.visittheusa.co.uk/state/northern-mariana-islands

I'm sure lots of British tourists are visiting the Northern Marianas!

Yes, they are looking for new destinations, but Asheville and Wilmington aren't them. New, "off the beaten path" destinations to them are Charleston, Austin, New Orleans, and the Western National Parks...

I'm not sure where you are getting your golfing stats from, but the US isn't a cheap golfing destination, especially for Europeans. Taking a holiday to the courses of Portugal, Spain, and Ireland is far cheaper for most Europeans. 

Going to a rural area or off the beaten path in a European country cannot be compared to going to a rural area in the US, where each physical state is literally the size of single European countries. A specific destination may seem "off the beaten path" to you, but usually said European towns/villages have much more developed tourist networks (and are much more connected to their gateway city in terms of infrastructure and political strength) than their "rural" counterparts in the US. Let's say you visited Toledo, Cáceres, or Córdoba in Spain. While all small and rural, all have UNESCO sites, numerous museums, and a thriving tourist economy, despite their small size, and all are just a high speed train ride away from their country's core city.  The same cannot be said for comparable US cities, let alone anywhere in NC. 

@CLT2014 said it best...

5 hours ago, CLT2014 said:

Our mountains are nice for the East Coast.... but I don't know if many people would fly all the way across the world to see them and they are highly seasonal. Heck... you don't even have many Americans that fly across the USA to see them. Most people are overwhelmingly visiting the Appalachian from states in driving distance because going to Boone is easier / cheaper than going to Glacier National Park. You don't see demand for nonstop flights from Asheville to cities in Mountain or Pacific time, but airports like Reno, Vail, and Jackson Hole have service across the country.  Even in its current state, the Asheville area rarely is full of the tour buses, international visitors, et... that are so popular at top destinations like Yosemite, Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone, Glacier, et... 

So basically I just don't see people taking a 10 hour flight to go to see the Appalachian Mountains in mass. If you are going to spend a lot of money to go visit a country as large / spectacular as the USA, you have to really focus your search and international tourists looking for mountains have picked the Rocky Mountains or Sierra Nevada Mountains (Yosemite). The other downside is there is no winter ski season in the Appalachian to attract international visitors for half the year, whereas the Rockies, Sierras, et.. can offset the winter drop with luxury ski travel. 

This is also backed by data. While Great Smoky Mountains is #1 national park for domestic visitors, it only ranks #15 for international. #1 is Grand Canyon and #2 is Yosemite for international. 
https://usa.visa.com/partner-with-us/visa-consulting-analytics/western-us-national-parks-popular-with-foreign-tourists.html

Bingo. When foreigners think of "outdoorsy" US attractions...they think about the great parks of the west.

The reality is that if you give an international visitor the option of visiting a Western park or say Great Smoky Mountains, the Western park will win out every time.

 

[videtur quam contuor]

In the U.K. the "country" is the area between the metropolitan centers with farmland and hamlets and villages and is the destination for travel. In the U. S. the "country" is the area to be bypassed on the way to the destination. It is considered featureless and forgettable.

[LKN704]

4 hours ago, tarhoosier said:

In the U.K. the "country" is the area between the metropolitan centers with farmland and hamlets and villages and is the destination for travel. In the U. S. the "country" is the area to be bypassed on the way to the destination. It is considered featureless and forgettable.

Exactly. 

This isn't to say either that the US doesn't have great small towns and villages in the "country". I thoroughly enjoyed myself in small towns like Bisbee (AZ), Jerome (AZ), Marfa (TX), etc, it's just that those are niche places that are virtually unknown to foreigners, let alone most Americans. This contrasts with other countries, where most people in the tourism industry (or at least those well traveled) have heard of rural destinations like Toledo (Spain), Cinque Terre (Italy), Zermatt (Switzerland), etc. 

Edited June 3, 2022 by LKN704

[Richhamleigh, DC]

On 6/2/2022 at 1:50 PM, CLT2014 said:

Our mountains are nice for the East Coast.... but I don't know if many people would fly all the way across the world to see them and they are highly seasonal. Heck... you don't even have many Americans that fly across the USA to see them. Most people are overwhelmingly visiting the Appalachian from states in driving distance because going to Boone is easier / cheaper than going to Glacier National Park. You don't see demand for nonstop flights from Asheville to cities in Mountain or Pacific time, but airports like Reno, Vail, and Jackson Hole have service across the country.  Even in its current state, the Asheville area rarely is full of the tour buses, international visitors, et... that are so popular at top destinations like Yosemite, Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone, Glacier, et... 

So basically I just don't see people taking a 10 hour flight to go to see the Appalachian Mountains in mass. If you are going to spend a lot of money to go visit a country as large / spectacular as the USA, you have to really focus your search and international tourists looking for mountains have picked the Rocky Mountains or Sierra Nevada Mountains (Yosemite). The other downside is there is no winter ski season in the Appalachian to attract international visitors for half the year, whereas the Rockies, Sierras, et.. can offset the winter drop with luxury ski travel. 

This is also backed by data. While Great Smoky Mountains is #1 national park for domestic visitors, it only ranks #15 for international. #1 is Grand Canyon and #2 is Yosemite for international. 
https://usa.visa.com/partner-with-us/visa-consulting-analytics/western-us-national-parks-popular-with-foreign-tourists.html

Seriously?  This is exactly the problem.  No one in Georgia or Massachusetts or Florida or Texas is saying "we live a place that no one wants to visit".  Why would anyone visit Georgia?   To go to a museum about a soft drink?  To visit an aquarium?  The hills and "beaches" of GA are easily eclipsed by...everywhere.  Same for Texas.  And, Massachusetts.   What these places do well and vastly better than NC is selling an image and myths.   Austin, Texas - talk about myths.  IMHO part of our problem is baked into our DNA  a subdued sense of self; an almost self-conscious avoidance of being too prideful.  North Carolinians loath boasting  and subsequently are horrible elf-promoters.  We are very humble.  To be, rather than to seem.   We were poor so long sandwiched among states with massive egos:  Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.  For goodness sake, these states suck the air out of the room while ultimately, and arguably the best state among all of them is.....North Carolina.  Our geography, universities, etc..  The diversity of North Carolina is its ultimate strength.  We don't have one big city of any consequence, we have several.  Our cities are growing, the others are not (according to the 2021 Estimates).  This aside, dismissing North Carolina or focusing on its shortcomings does not not make NC currently an exciting place to visit -- or, and this is really the point, our potential.

People travel from around the world to visit a collection of hills and small bodies of water in the Lakes District of the UK and to visit a large area of pine trees and hills in the Black Forest of Germany.  How many mountains do you need to see in Colorado before it all looks the same?  The Gulf Coast of Texas is awful and while the mountains of far western Texas are awesome, I wouldn't fly there to see them.  I would go to Texas because they have created this mythical identity. but after a few hours driving everywhere and listening to them talk, would really love it?   These places are by comparison to most other places with similar and superior characteristics not worth flying across an ocean to visit but they have been promoted by these place ad nauseum and have carved out unique identities.  NC has two of the most visited national park facilities in the country.  The Outer Banks are arguably the best beaches in the United States outside Florida and Hawaii.  North Carolina needs to raise it's profile.  It needs to establish an infrastructure that is suited for tourism (residents benefit from this) - flying into Charlotte or Raleigh's international airports as K'burg suggested, visiting those regions and then taking a high-speed train to Wilmington or Asheville....  As our cities become more mature -- Charlotte is very close to being a city that you can spend a few days visiting -- and once they do a better job themselves of organizing and building the infrastructure to support the destinations that attract the visitors - North Carolina is then (arguably) the most interesting and diverse state east of California.  There's a reason TV and film came to NC before Georgia that transcended financial incentives: the diversity of NC's built and natural environments.  

I agree that trying to sell NC to a global audience is hard but it's not because our mountains aren't as big as Alaska's or our beaches as tropical as Hawaii, it's because  we lack vision and self-confidence.  

Edited June 3, 2022 by Phillydog

[KJHburg]

Well I guess we have  stumbled upon  $337 Million in 2021 from international tourists  must have been looking for those larger gateway cities and got lost.  Most were from Canada but I am sure Europeans made up a lot of these expenditures.  I will not accept under any notion there are not things unique to North Carolina that international tourists would not want to see on a trip to America.   The Blue Mountains outside of Sydney I went too even though they are not impressive in height.  Do all these international flights fly to Charlotte and Raleigh Durham empty except for Americans returning?   I said it before and I will say it again people are looking for new places to explore and experience.  

""International travelers spent $337 million in 2021, up 25.6 percent from the previous year.""   If someone comes on business to NC from Europe and they bring their spouse is that considered tourism?

https://www.nccommerce.com/news/press-releases/north-carolina-announces-total-tourism-spending-near-recovery-2021   2021 figures 

https://www.nccommerce.com/news/press-releases/annual-tourism-spending-report-released#:~:text=North Carolina hosted 37 million visitors in 2020  2020 figures 

Here is the chart I was looking for  I guess these Euros found something to see or do here.  From 2019    84,000 plus from the UK and 51,000 plus from Germany.  

https://annualreport.visitnc.com/overseas-visitors

2019 was still the record tourism year for NC though I think 2022 might be the new winner but I guess we will see. 

Rank	Country of Origin	2019 Estimated Visitors	Percent Change from 2018	2019 Estimated Spending	Percent Change from 2018	Average Spending per Visitor
1	Canada	405,663	1.2%	$224.2m	-3.5%	$553
2	United Kingdom	84,425	8.9%	$141.6m	5.5%	$1,677
3	Germany	51,044	-0.4%	$72.4m	-4.6%	$1,418
4	China	32,993	1.9%	$88.3m	-1.8%	$2,676
5	Mexico	29,691	8.2%	$13.5m	3.6%	$455
6	India	27,772	9.4%	$63.5m	6.4%	$2,287
7	Japan	21,449	13.9%	$42.3m	9.0%	$1,970
8	France	18,071	2.3%	$21.9m	-2.1%	$1,214
9	Brazil	16,738	6.1%	$37.9m	1.8%	$2,266
10	Australia	14,117	-0.3%	$25.6m	-7.2%	$1,814
11	South Korea	11,456	16.5%	$24.9m	9.7%	$2,176
12	Spain	11,216	5.6%	$11.5m	1.0%	$1,022

 

13	Italy	10,424	1.9%	$13.1m	-4.8%	$1,260
14	Ireland	7,639	3.3%	$9.3m	-3.8%	$1,217
15	Sweden	7,528	-10.0%	$8.8m	-10.2%	$1,167
16	Switzerland	5,892	-3.8%	$11.7m	-6.0%	$1,983
17	Denmark	5,755	-3.1%	$13.2m	-9.4%	$2,286
18	Russia	5,434	8.2%	$11.3m	2.4%	$2,078
19	Norway	5,107	-13.8%	$9.4m	-18.9%	$1,842
20	Argentina	4,361	-7.6%	$6.3m	-13.1%	$1,444
	Total	920,535	3.6%	$1.2b	1.3%	$1,290

 

on by the way Raleigh Durham's nonstop to London Heathrow took off today after 2 year pause.

Icelandic Air is always flying nonstop from RDU in May. 

 

 

 

Edited June 4, 2022 by KJHburg

[LKN704]

3 hours ago, KJHburg said:

Well I guess we have  stumbled upon  $337 Million in 2021 from international tourists  must have been looking for those larger gateway cities and got lost.  Most were from Canada but I am sure Europeans made up a lot of these expenditures.  I will not accept under any notion there are not things unique to North Carolina that international tourists would not want to see on a trip to America.   The Blue Mountains outside of Sydney I went too even though they are not impressive in height.  Do all these international flights fly to Charlotte and Raleigh Durham empty except for Americans returning?   I said it before and I will say it again people are looking for new places to explore and experience.  

""International travelers spent $337 million in 2021, up 25.6 percent from the previous year.""   If someone comes on business to NC from Europe and they bring their spouse is that considered tourism?

https://www.nccommerce.com/news/press-releases/north-carolina-announces-total-tourism-spending-near-recovery-2021   2021 figures 

https://www.nccommerce.com/news/press-releases/annual-tourism-spending-report-released#:~:text=North Carolina hosted 37 million visitors in 2020  2020 figures 

Here is the chart I was looking for  I guess these Euros found something to see or do here.  From 2019    84,000 plus from the UK and 51,000 plus from Germany.  

https://annualreport.visitnc.com/overseas-visitors

2019 was still the record tourism year for NC though I think 2022 might be the new winner but I guess we will see. 

Rank	Country of Origin	2019 Estimated Visitors	Percent Change from 2018	2019 Estimated Spending	Percent Change from 2018	Average Spending per Visitor
1	Canada	405,663	1.2%	$224.2m	-3.5%	$553
2	United Kingdom	84,425	8.9%	$141.6m	5.5%	$1,677
3	Germany	51,044	-0.4%	$72.4m	-4.6%	$1,418
4	China	32,993	1.9%	$88.3m	-1.8%	$2,676
5	Mexico	29,691	8.2%	$13.5m	3.6%	$455
6	India	27,772	9.4%	$63.5m	6.4%	$2,287
7	Japan	21,449	13.9%	$42.3m	9.0%	$1,970
8	France	18,071	2.3%	$21.9m	-2.1%	$1,214
9	Brazil	16,738	6.1%	$37.9m	1.8%	$2,266
10	Australia	14,117	-0.3%	$25.6m	-7.2%	$1,814
11	South Korea	11,456	16.5%	$24.9m	9.7%	$2,176
12	Spain	11,216	5.6%	$11.5m	1.0%	$1,022

 

13	Italy	10,424	1.9%	$13.1m	-4.8%	$1,260
14	Ireland	7,639	3.3%	$9.3m	-3.8%	$1,217
15	Sweden	7,528	-10.0%	$8.8m	-10.2%	$1,167
16	Switzerland	5,892	-3.8%	$11.7m	-6.0%	$1,983
17	Denmark	5,755	-3.1%	$13.2m	-9.4%	$2,286
18	Russia	5,434	8.2%	$11.3m	2.4%	$2,078
19	Norway	5,107	-13.8%	$9.4m	-18.9%	$1,842
20	Argentina	4,361	-7.6%	$6.3m	-13.1%	$1,444
	Total	920,535	3.6%	$1.2b	1.3%	$1,290

 

on by the way Raleigh Durham's nonstop to London Heathrow took off today after 2 year pause.

Icelandic Air is always flying nonstop from RDU in May. 

 

 

 

IMO those charts are worthless unless they quantify the specific nature of overseas visitors...notice how it says "visitors" rather than tourists. Are Canadians who drive from Ontario or Quebec to Florida counted? Is a German connecting in Charlotte who buys a stick of gum in CLT counted towards the estimated spending?  What is included in spending? I don't get anything about tourists visiting North Carolina from this chart. 

Icelandair (not Icelandic Air) flying to Raleigh is more about bringing budget minded Triangle folks to Europe in the summer, rather than the other way around. Historically they are known as the "hippy airline" bringing budget-minded folks to Europe during the summer, and their business model thrives in American cities that often lack service to Europe. 

Regarding the international flights to Charlotte (I can't speak for Raleigh), the vast, vast majority of the passengers on those flights are connecting and will never leave step foot outside CLT's terminal. Do you think the flight from Rome to Charlotte tomorrow is filled with Romans setting off to explore NC? This is one of the reasons why I think it is incredibly important for an airport like CLT to have modern, up to date terminal facilities. Airport terminals are representative of the city they serve...they literally serve as the welcome mat to the city and can ultimately build future visits. 

As another poster said, I will concede that Chacun a son gout...we will never agree and at the end of the day, tastes ultimately differ.

I thought the Blue Mountains in AU were fabulous, and I'll never forget the smell of eucalyptus in the air when hiking. I lived in North Carolina for a little over 15 years, and I can't think of anything in the state that would attract international tourists. Personally not a fan of the beaches for reasons I illustrated above (not a rental-type of guy), and I find the mountain region as a whole to be sad and depressing every time I visit. Asheville I suppose is nice if you are into the kitschy atmosphere, folk-art, and craft beer (I am not). I think the region looks ugly in the winter time, and I personally prefer the look of alpine, coniferous forests over the deciduous, highland forests in NC that lose their leaves. 

One area of the state that I will admit is SEVERELY underrated and where I genuinely enjoyed my time is New Bern.  Granted, I am not in a rush to go back (one time was enough IMO) but the town was quite nice and I'm glad I went, but again, I can't see people from London flocking there for a visit. 

8 hours ago, Phillydog said:

Massachusetts. 

Boston, P-Town & the Cape, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket would like to see you about this. 

[KJHburg]

Well I am glad I live in this state and choose to as I could live anywhere.  Since NC is the 6th most visited state in NC plenty in the country plenty find things to see and visit here.  I guess I am one of the unsophisticated rubes who loves this state.  I have been to all 100 counties of NC, all 50 states and 20+ countries so I am guess I have seen some places and do think NC ranks up there.   

Sorry I was so stupid to call it Icelandic Air instead of Icelandair.  Guess it is the rube in me! 

Oh yeah I lived for 10 years in DC area and many of those sophisticated folks came to NC for vacation especially to Outer Banks like Duck and Corolla.   My international friends who have visited NC loved it. 

Yes we will just agree to disagree about tourism prospects in NC.  

[JacksonH]

On 6/2/2022 at 10:38 AM, KJHburg said:

NC can and does attract European golfers to Pinehurst. 

Indeed it does.  Thirty-five or so years ago a gentleman from Zurich, Switzerland came to Pinehurst and ended up buying a home there and became a close friend of our extended family.  And I later spent several days visiting with his son at his home near Zurich.