www.peoplefirsttourism.com/ NC info@peoplefirsttourism.com W HAT IS - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

P ROJECT O VERVI EW www.peoplefirsttourism.com/ NC info@peoplefirsttourism.com

¿W HAT IS P EOPLE -F IRST T OURISM ?  A marketplace connecting tourism micro ‐ entrepreneurs with travelers interested in genuine experiences and in positively impacting the communities they visit ¿W HY P EOPLE -F IRST T OURISM ?  To leverage IT innovation and the economic force of tourism to enable micro ‐ entrepreneurship as a tool for equitable prosperity ¿W HO C ONTRIBUTES TO THE PROJECT ?  Interdisciplinary team of committed NC State faculty and students  Local government, tourism industry, and academic partners 2

www.peoplefirsttourism.com/NC 3 • Public: Appealing and intuitive website • Partners: Secure admin portal

Institute for Next Generation IT Systems faculty and students develop innovative web ‐ to ‐ cell system  Tourists browse and book services in sophisticated web site  Entrepreneurs receive inquiries on simple cellphones via sms  Payments with Paypal (3% per transaction cost)  IT system makes tourism income accesible to virtually anyone 4

We work with local partners to co ‐ develop web profiles for micro ‐ entrepreneurs and their services. 5

Students, universities and local partners collaborate to assess needs and provide training to P1T entrepreneurs. 6

C ASE 1: B OB AND J ANE C HESTNUT  Born and raised in Eastern NC 7  Adding richness to the Ocracoke experience  Earning a livelihood from tourism to live in the OBX

C ASE 2: N ORMA B URNS  Vegetable tours income provides diversification and part ‐ time jobs 8  Begun collaboration with local industry – Southern Supreme  Reducing isolation and increasing motivation

C ASE 3: C ONNIE M OLLAND  Enthusiasm and income to start woodwork shop 9  Became involved in downtown improvement association  Participated in tourism planning and training by Coop Extension

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S TRUCTURE Madison NC  Entrepreneurs organized into networks  To compete and collaborate with each other  Each network has local empowerment agent(s)  To “accompany,” promote, and train entrepreneurs  To recruit and edit web profiles 11  Each network may endorse industry supporters  To reward their corporate social responsibility

B ENEFITS TO OUR P ARTNERS  Communication and collaboration between stakeholders in various sectors  TDA / SBA / Cooperative Extension / Industry  Periodic impact reports documenting role of tourism in fostering equitable prosperity  E.g., # of new tourism micro ‐ businesses in the county  Enhancing local tourism product and image  Genuine experiences provided by locals  Encourages repeat visits  Increased complexity of tourism experiences 12  Generates visitor ‐ local connections

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A NOTHER BENEFIT : OUR MARKETING APPROACH  Collaborate in VisitNC partner advertising 14

… AND ALSO THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA , PR, AND AGRESSIVE MARKETING 15

www.peoplefirsttourism.com/NC 16