The inaugural Orange County Economic Development Summit took place on October 17, with Orange County commissioners and business leaders joining WCHL’s Aaron Keck to discuss the local economy and how it impacts tourism, the arts and workforce creation. Listen to all eight parts of the inaugural summit on the Chapelboro On Demand page.

During the Orange County Economic Development Summit, Aaron Keck was joined by Penny Rich (Orange County Commissioner), Laurie Paolicelli (Chapel Hill-Orange County Visitors Bureau) and Anthony Carey (Siena Hotel and Chair of the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau Board of Directors) to discuss Orange County as a tourist destination.

“It is an industry that is very significant and when we say $198 million dollars, that’s a hard number to really wrap your brain around. But how that breaks down, Aaron, is tourists generate $542,465 every day in Orange County. And that’s a big impact. So needless to say, the 2.5 million visitors that come here are largely related to the university and yet that is changing. Two-thirds of them come directly for the university and one-third is a whole new mix of Triangle re-locators, retirees, arts enthusiasts, so we’re doing well.” – Laurie Paolicelli

Related Stories
‹
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 […]
Chapel Hill Marks High Foot Traffic Downtown in 2022, Outpacing Statewide Rates
As the calendar year comes to a close, it marks what’s widely regarded as the most “normal” year since the coronavirus pandemic began. What did that mean for downtown foot traffic and tourism, as events started to pick up and people became more confident in public health? Some local experts report that for Chapel Hill, […]
›