Tourism pitch proves 'uplifting'

A new tourism initiative for Surry County is shaping up to be — well, uplifting — in terms of its potential for drawing more visitors to the area.

That is the consensus of various local governmental and other leaders who attended an initial community meeting of the UPLIFT North Carolina tourism program last week at The Arts Center in Mount Airy.

UPLIFT is a collaboration of university and state representatives seeking to boost visitation through community-driven efforts crossing county lines in rural North Carolina.

Surry is in a group that also includes Yadkin, Wilkes and Caldwell counties, with four similar clusters designated in other key parts of the state.

About 20 people attended last week’s meeting here for an introduction to the concept of UPLIFT, an acronym for Understanding, Planning, Link, Innovate, Finance and Tell.

“I thought it was great to see so many different individuals and groups,” said Surry Arts Council Executive Director Tanya Jones, who was among those attending.

“We all have the same purpose of promoting tourism in our area,” Jones added Tuesday.

Resources appealing

It’s one thing to throw out a catchy slogan or concept — often it takes something tangible to back that up, which local officials believe will be the case with the UPLIFT tourism initiative that offers some firm financial and other backing.

The program is supported by the American Rescue Plan Act and represents one project of several designed to address the impact from COVID-19 on the hospitality, tourism and outdoor recreation industries, its officials say.

They also work with the N.C. Department of Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division, the N.C. Pandemic Recovery Office, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina and the state Restaurant and Lodging Association.

Coupled with those involvements is the fact that the UPLIFT team includes representatives of Appalachian State University and N.C. State University with both expertise and experience in regional tourism and economic development.

“I feel it shows there are some good resources available that people aren’t even aware of,” Executive Director Jessica Roberts of the Mount Airy Tourism Development Authority and the Tourism Partnership of Surry County said in the wake of last week’s meeting.

Among those are free training in areas such as marketing, agritourism and festivals; free webinars; technical assistance; mentorships; and a tourism incubator to help a county promote its tourism assets.

UPLIFT also has a team that can identify, connect, edit and support grant-application and loan-application efforts to finance plans that are devised.

“They seem to have a lot of resources available and it’s up to us to take advantage of them,” said Jones, the Surry Arts Council official.

“It may be a business, it may be a county,” Mount Airy Mayor Jon Cawley, another meeting attendee, said of who can benefit.

Three-pronged approach

The UPLIFT program is implemented in a trio of phases over a period of three years.

Phase I focuses on understanding where UPLIFT can provide the most value for communities such as Surry County and includes information-gathering and other steps, which lasts roughly six months.

The second phase, of 12 to 15 months, involves technical assistance and professional development, including such elements as regional itinerary building workshops and training front-line staff to learn about regional sites, attractions and businesses.

Phase III wraps up the program, including outreach efforts to tell stories of regions and finalizing impact evaluations, among other efforts.

Surry County is fortunate in possessing attractions to help drive a regional tourism program, officials say.

“You have some great outdoor recreational assets,” said Simon Jones, team lead for UPLIFT North Carolina, who presented information about the program during the meeting in Mount Airy.

One key is building on what’s here while avoiding duplication of attractions or events, Jones told those attending, thus “uplifting” the county’s tourism goals to another level.

Jones grew up in and around wildlife parks in England and the U.S. and has 20 years of experience working with governmental units, businesses and other entities to plan and develop immersive and engaging nature and cultural tourism.

He also has a master’s degree in tourism administration, with a concentration in sustainable destination management, from The George Washington University School of Business.

Jones said a first step for local officials is to identify ideas and needs that the UPLIFT program can help address.

Mayor Cawley thinks it was important for city and county elected officials and others to have “a get-to-know-you meeting” with UPLIFT team members to become acquainted with the process and get it going. “So it was really just a hello.”

Roberts, the local tourism official, believes that was important in terms of building unity and realizing there is strength in numbers rather than going it alone.

“I think we’re definitely coming together as a county.”