The Wilmington morning star., 1940-09-12
Tourist Revenue

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The money spend by transient tourists in
Wilmington amounts to $2,419,225 annually,
saws J. c. Baskerville, who heads the publicity
ldepartment of the state department Of conser-
walton and development and executive secre-
tary of the Governors hospitality committee.
Mr.. BaskervilI's figures are based chiefly on
the number of automobiles from other sections
which pass through the city, their passengers
and the estimated amount of their expendi-
lures. They are, therefore, probably conserv-
alive, and give a fair picture OF the value OF
this type of patronage to Wilmington.
Groups in the city which have a hope Of
building the transient tourist business now
putting this fine revenue into Wilmington's
trade channels into a more permanent asset,
see in Mr.. Baskerville's estimate a hint OF
what could be done if Wilmington had attrac.
lions to hold tourists for more than overnight
stops. We're the city equipped with the at
fractions which feature southern winter re-
sorts, they believe, the tourists who now put
up for a nights sleep and speed away after a
quick breakfast would tarry for a week or
more and by so doing vastly increase the
amount of money left here.
One drawback in the past has been a will
ingness on the part of those whose duty it is to
promote the city to look upon tourist trade as
a ransitory blessing. When Highway II was
put through Wilmington was advertised, in the
initial exploitation, as a place to stop over
night. That was done to skew its convenience
g. L-xl ---xL Io,vaJ oyI co,,fk ho,,~S $~aSfsn
as was proper at the time. Its tineliness
passed quickly, and tourists ought to have
been encouraged to make prolonged visits to
view the historic spots in which the city
bounds, to go to the beaches, which are not
to be discounted in winter, to play golf at the
course.
There should have been some effort to ere.
ate new sources of entertainment. Bride
paths, for example, through the neighboring
woodlands, with stables of choice mounts,
have helped. An entertainment center,
a great auditorium where winter concerts
could be a decoy for visitors as well as resi-.
dents Of the entire southeastern North Caro-
lima area, could long have been an asset. An
advertising campaign setting forth Whining
TONS desirability because of its open winters
and other features would have been money
well spent. Anything that could have been
done to impress motorists with the fact that
city is quite as fine a place to spend weeks
or months as any better-known place in Dixie
along the routes between the cold North and
East and sunny Florida would have been a
project.
As for this past neglect, it is now best for
gotten. For the present and the future, Mr..
Baskerville Illuminating revelation Of the
money left here by transients clearly indicates
that Wilmington is capable of becoming a
spot with the nomadic thousands who
roam the country seeking pleasure and re-
lease from business worries If proper pro-
vision is made for their entertainment and an
adequate campaign Of exploitation started. The
two million dollars plus which cling to our
now could be two hundred millions if
the city's promoters put the proper effort into
a ttrs citing large numbers of lingering visitors.