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Marketing & Communications Report I First Quarter <br />Cabarrus Business Magazine (Print) <br />Circulation: 13,650 <br />August /Sept 2010 <br />Cabarrus Tourism Update <br />At the Intersection of Recession, Recovery and Research <br />A s a country and a county, we find <br />ourselves at the intersection of <br />recession and recovery — somewhere <br />between the depth of night and the first <br />rays of dawn. No one can agree on <br />exactly where we stand, but research <br />sheds some light on the current <br />economic situation when it comes to <br />tourism in Cabarrus County. <br />The Cabarrus County Convention and <br />Visitors Bureau (CVB) depends on <br />research to determine where we have <br />been and where we need to go, especially <br />in these uncertain economic times. This <br />information is a critical component as we <br />work with hotels and other destination <br />partners to drive more business to <br />Cabarrus County. Smith Travel Research <br />is the recognized leader for lodging <br />industry research and is a key data <br />source for the CVB. <br />According to Smith Travel Research, <br />our May 2010 numbers indicate reasons <br />for optimism. From May 2009 to May <br />2010, Cabarrus County hotels saw a <br />dramatic increase in room demand, <br />outperforming national, state and <br />regional averages. Nationally, room <br />demand was up 9.6 percent from May <br />'09 to May'10. In the state of North <br />Carolina, room demand showed an <br />increase of 11.7 percent, higher than the <br />national average. The Carolinas region of <br />the state — encompassing the Charlotte <br />area and surrounding counties, including <br />Cabarrus County — had particularly <br />strong growth at 16.9 percent, the high- <br />est regional increase statewide. Room <br />demand in Cabarrus County outperformed <br />the Carolinas average with an increase of <br />19.6 percent from May '09 to May '10. <br />In fact, Cabarrus County has <br />experienced some of its largest growth in <br />recent history. Since April 2009, the <br />county has seen a 32.4 percent increase <br />in total room supply. The largest <br />contributor to this room growth was the <br />addition of Great Wolf Lodge Charlotte - <br />Concord at Exit 49, with 402 rooms. <br />Additional new properties in Cabarrus <br />County included Residence Inn by <br />201 www.cabarrusmagazine.com <br />Attachment number 1 <br />Page 173 <br />1 -2 <br />