Laurie Paolicelli, director of the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau, was recently approved to become a member of the N.C. Travel & Tourism Coalition.

The Coalition, founded in 1991, is a private non-profit organization that works toward growing and maintaining a healthy and vibrant travel and tourism industry in North Carolina. As the sixth most-visited state in the country, tourism in North Carolina accounts for a great deal of business and success across all of its 100 counties.

Orange County is no different, and Paolicelli has done an admirable job of leading efforts to grow tourism in Orange County as director of the Visitors Bureau since 2005. As home to historical landmarks, plentiful agritourism opportunities and national championship collegiate athletics — to name only three draws — the future of tourism in Orange County is looking bright.

Related Stories
‹
Orange County Tourism Increases in Wake of Recession
The Department of Commerce says tourism reached an all-time high in Orange County last year.
After Helene’s Destruction, A Mountain Town Reliant on Fall Tourism Wonders What’s Next
In the days after Helene razed much of western North Carolina, some store owners in downtown Boone don’t know the future of their businesses.
In Record Year Statewide, Orange County Sees Largest Visitor Spending Growth in 2023
With a 13% increase, Orange County saw the highest growth in visitor spending out of all 100 North Carolina counties last year.
What Makes Orange County Attractive to Visitors? Results of Survey Show What Locals Think
The Orange County Visitors Bureau rolled out a third-party study to see how aligned its community is as to why people should come visit.
Slayings of Tourists and Colombian Women Expose the Dark Side of Medellin’s Tourism Boom
Written by ASTRID SÚAREZ The lush valley enveloping Medellin was once the heart of a brutal war involving the Colombian government, drug cartels and a smattering of other armed groups. But a sharp dip in violence in the country’s second-biggest city has attracted a flood of tourists to its vivid colors, busy cafes and booming nightlife. About […]
Maui Beckons Tourists, and Their Dollars, To Stave off Economic Disaster After Wildfires
Written by AUDREY MCAVOY and JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER Richie Olsten has been in Maui’s helicopter tour business for a half century, so long he’s developed a barometer for the tourism-dependent economy: rental cars parked at the island’s airport. There are so many since wildfires killed at least 115 people in the historic town of Lahaina that Olsten […]
Survivors of Maui Fires Face Power Cuts and Poor Cell Service as Teams Work To Find and ID the Dead
Written by CLAIRE RUSH, JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER and CHRISTOPHER WEBER Survivors of deadly wildfires on Maui contended with intermittent power and unreliable cell service as they sought help rebuilding their lives. Teams of people, meanwhile, labored to find the dead and identify them. With the death toll already at 106, a mobile morgue unit with additional coroners […]
The Crimean Peninsula Is Both a Playground and a Battleground, Coveted by Ukraine and Russia
Written by DASHA LITVINOVA Its balmy beaches have been vacation spots for Russian czars and Soviet general secretaries. It has hosted history-shaking meetings of world leaders and boasts a strategic naval base. And it has been the site of ethnic persecutions, forced deportations and political repression. Now, as Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its 18th month, the […]
Tourists Are Packing European Hotspots, Boosted by Americans
Written by COLLEEN BARRY Tourists are waiting more than two hours to visit the Acropolis in Athens. Taxi lines at Rome’s main train station are running just as long. And so many visitors are concentrating around St. Mark’s Square in Venice that crowds get backed up crossing bridges — even on weekdays. After three years […]
‘A Little Scary’: Iditarod Begins With Smallest Field Ever
Written by MARK THIESSEN The second half-century for the world’s most famous sled dog race is getting off to a rough start. Only 33 mushers will participate in the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, the smallest field ever to take their dog teams nearly 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) over […]
›