Wilmington Cape Fear coast keeps it fresh.

• Author: Burnette, Kristen
• Position: Regional Focus

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North Carolina's historic port city, Wilmington, and the Cape Fear coastal region are among the state's top tourist draws. But the region's leaders know they need to add attractions and occasionally freshen the region's image to remain a top draw.

"For any resort community, especially one with a high number of repeat visitors like ours, it's important to keep your tourism product fresh," says Judith Grizzel, president of the Cape Fear Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau. "In today's economy, the tourism dollar is a very competitive business. 'Freshness tweaking' gives new appeal to your area from year to year and keeps the same customers coming back."

Tourism, one of North Carolina's largest industries, plays a major role in Wilmington's economic vitality and is one of the area's top industries. Grizzel says it ranks among the top four industries in the Wilmington area.

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Wilmington draws visitors from Raleigh-Durham, Greensboro and Charlotte, among other cities, and boasts many popular attractions. The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher and the USS North Carolina made the state Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development's 2002 list of Top 25 Attractions in North Carolina, based on attendance. The aquarium drew more than 1 million visitors. About 216,600 toured the battleship.

In 2001, the latest year for which statistics are available, tourism revenue for New Hanover County totaled $301 million, a 2.7% decrease from the previous year. The 2001 dip was no surprise considering the faltering economy and the travel slowdown after hijackers crashed airplanes into buildings in New York City and Washington, D.C., Sept. 11. Even so, it was nearly a 50% increase from 1990, when tourism revenue was $153 million.

The growth is credited in part to the area's increased accessibility. "It was in the early '90s that 1-40 was completed, which paved the way for the market to develop in terms of tourism and economic development," explains Lee Cowper, president of Lee F. Cowper Inc., a Wilmington-based general contractor.

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Cowper, a Kinston native, moved to Wilmington in the mid-'80s. He not only has seen the area's growth but helped build part of it, including the Sandpiper Inn, duplexes at Wrightsville Beach and offices.

In 2001, New Hanover County's revenue from visitors ranked eighth among North Carolina's 100...