Typical visitor? Study shows ‘boomers' are the most common mountain visitors

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area and Appalachian State University announced the findings of a recent survey of visitors to Western North Carolina on Monday. The surveys were collected at heritage sites and welcome centers across the 25-county region in the late summer and early fall of 2006.

The Alleghany County Chamber of Commerce was among those that participated in the survey.

The survey research shows that the typical visitor to the North Carolina mountains is a baby boomer, with an average age of 51 years old. The typical visitor is college-educated and fairly prosperous, with an average household income of $67,111.

On average, overnight visitors spent $108 per day while day-trippers spent $61 per day during their visit to the mountains. Overnight visitors stayed three to four nights on average.

The top three reported motivations for visiting the region were: relaxation/escape (48 percent), spending time with family and/or friends (28 percent), and outdoor adventure (10 percent).

The top five reported activities of visitors were: scenic drive or visit to the Blue Ridge Parkway (64 percent), natural or scenic attractions (42 percent), historic downtowns (40 percent), Biltmore House (36 percent), and gorges/waterfalls (27 percent).

Alleghany Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bob Bamberg noted Tuesday that the chamber will be studying the information.

"We will be looking at this data real hard to see how we can best benefit Alleghany County," Bamberg said. "Certainly it shows there is good economic potential from visitors to the Blue Ridge Parkway if we can get them off the Parkway and into our communities.

"We also need to have the kinds of activities and services that they seek when they get here," he added.

Bamberg said he sees the report as a valuable resource for local business owners. "I encourage local business people to study the report to determine how they can better target their merchandise and services to these visitors."

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