Some seek the isolation 

 of Ocracoke, others the 

 homestyle beaches of 



Topsail, Sunset and 



Emerald Isle. 

 They come to swing a 

 club, cast a line, set a 



sail and hang ten. 

 For some it's an annual 

 pilgrimage to get away; 

 for others, it's a chance 



to get together with 



family and friends. 



14 JULY/AUGUST 1992 



the Outer Banks more than 16 times 

 in the previous five years. 



But from Morehead City south, 

 the story is different. Only 17.3 

 percent of the out-of-staters who 

 sampled our shores had visited 

 before. 



How do tourists rate our beaches 

 as a vacation spot? 



Non-residents gave the Outer 

 Banks a rating of 4.3 1 — or B+ — 

 on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1=F and 

 5=A. 



They were most satisfied with the 

 availability of tourist information, the 

 friendliness of the people and the 

 quality of service at tourist busi- 

 nesses. They were least happy with 

 the quality of the highways, the cost 

 of visiting the area and the quality of 

 the eating and drinking establish- 

 ments. 



The aspects they liked best about 

 our northern shores were the wonder- 

 ful beaches, friendly people and the 

 fact the area was clean and unspoiled. 



Non-natives visiting our southern 

 shores gave them a grade of B, or 

 4.13. In this region, non-residents 

 were most pleased with the friendli- 

 ness of the people, the availability of 

 tourist information and the quality of 

 service at tourist businesses. They 

 gave their lowest ratings to the cost 

 of their trip, the quality of restaurants 

 and the quality of lodging. 



Native North Carolinians, 

 perhaps guilty of the grass-is-always- 

 greener-on-the-other-side syndrome, 

 were the most critical of our coast. 

 They gave the shore a mark of 3.87, 

 orB-. 



Natives gave their best ratings to 

 the friendliness of the people, the 

 quality of the restaurants and the 

 quality of the lodging. Their least 

 favorable marks went to the quality 

 of the highways, the attractiveness of 

 roadside scenery and the cost of their 

 visit. 



And just who are these people 

 rating our coast? 



The non-resident visitors to the 



Outer Banks normally travel in 

 groups of 4.21 people, usually family, 

 that are led by a male more than 30 

 years old who has at least finished 

 high school and in many cases 

 college. 



The household income for the 

 majority of these visitors exceeded 

 $30,000, with 32.7 percent in excess 

 of $50,000. Nearly 75 percent of the 

 travelers were part of dual-income 

 families, and they hailed largely from 

 Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, 

 New York and Ohio. 



Non-natives vacationing along 

 our southern beaches come in groups 

 of 3.4, usually family, that are also 

 led by a male older than 30 who has 

 finished high school. 



The household income for the 

 majority of these travelers surpassed 

 $30,000, with 31.9 percent exceeding 

 $50,000. Seventy percent of the 

 respondents were part of two-income 

 households. 



Virginia, Florida, New York, 

 Pennsylvania and Maryland were the 

 states these southbound non-residents 

 most frequently called home. 



Tar Heel travel parties to the coast 

 were again for the most part led by 

 males over 30 who had received a 

 high school or college education. 



The majority of the household 

 incomes topped $30,000, with 33.5 

 maxing out at more than $50,000. 



Of these coastal resident visitors, 

 41.4 percent hailed from the Carolina 

 heartland — an area that includes 

 Durham, Raleigh, Wilson, Rocky 

 Mount and Fayetteville. They were 

 followed by folks who traveled from 

 the northern foothills, 24.6 percent, 

 and the southern foothills, 12.6 

 percent. 



This snapshot of the North 

 Carolina coastal tourist helps the 

 state's Division of Travel and 

 Tourism and local municipalities and 

 county governments know their 

 visitors better, target their advertise- 

 ments and meet the needs of their 

 guests. □ 



