Davidson County Economic Development Report

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the economic development impact and plans for further development of tourism in Davidson County. The basis of this paper stems from an article found in The-Dispatch, a Lexington, North Carolina news publication.

Davidson County is not thought of as a traditional tourist destination in North Carolina. To illustrate this, consider the following quote from Robin Bevins the executive director of the Lexington Tourism Authority, “I can remember a time when you said tourism in Davidson County, folks were a little skeptical or they chuckled” (Myers, 2016, September 9). To Ms. Bevins’ point, Davidson County is not located on the coast, or in the mountains, and there is no day to day attraction such as the North

According to Marlise Taylor with Visit NC, this figure is derived by dividing the state and local tax receipts totaling $13.74 million by the county’s population, approximately 164,590 (personal communication, September 21, 2016; Visit NC, 2016). Looking at this statistic another way, if not for the tourism dollars brought in to Davidson County, county citizens would have paid an additional $83.48 in fees, taxes, or a combination thereof, or experienced a reduction in services equal to the same amount. Thus, tourism affects Davidson County’s economic well-being by bringing outsiders in to spend money, boosting businesses’ bottom lines, and reducing local taxpayers’

A cost-benefit analysis is relatively subjective. Knowing exactly what costs to track and the benefits to measure may yield different results (Koven & Lyons, 2010). As it relates to tourism, the costs and benefits is reflected in tourism’s growth in Davidson County since 2010. From 2010 to 2015 tourism has grown by 30.4%, increasing from 118.92 million dollars in 2010 to 155.06 million dollars in 2015 (Visit NC, 2016). This growth serves as an indicator to local leadership and businesses that their efforts are yielding a positive