In a state with such a flourishing tourism economy and growing hospitality job engine, it's surprising on occasion to hear conversations around governing more tightly our short-term rental economy; after all, as the private sector grows so too, in turn, does the public sector.
That said, the growth of tourism in our State has been historically strong over the past few years, and with that growth has come many questions around the changing, in some cases, nature of our destinations across our State.
It's tempting, on occasion, to see all the challenges associated with those changes. That's relatively easy. It's more difficult, and happily more rewarding, to see solutions. Good news here, though--we have our proverbial best people working on it. Folks like Dr. Whitney Knollenberg at NC State's Tourism School is working nationally to identify best practices for a sustainable tourism future in our own towns. The Lighthouse Fund, for example, is working to produce insights and recommendations we can all steer a course by.
Solutions, of course, come from others but they also come from our own efforts--stay in touch with your elected officials at the local, state, and federal level. Set the standard in our industry. Collaborate well with others who may differ in their opinions. Said simply, if we know better, we must do better.
In short, help us make sure our voice is heard as we in turn listen well to others. Advocacy, in some regards, comes down to the "4R" rule--build relationships, maintain relevance, and acknowledge the responsibility to represent your staff and your customers.
In other words, our industry's future is just as vibrant as the past few years have been but only if we're better together.
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