Ten municipalities from across the state came to New Bern to provide mutual aid for disaster cleanup.
An additional 9,300 tons of construction debris was collected when residents and businesses cleaned up after the storm.Ĭity and mutual aid crews made more than 5,700 trips to the landfill. In New Bern alone, the city removed more than 155,000 cubic yards of vegetative debris left behind by Hurricane Florence. Craven County is in the Top 5 in the state for new home starts, he said.Ĭraven County suffered just over $400 million in property damage from Hurricane Florence. “Economic development is red hot in Craven County,” Veit said. The newest shell building remained vacant just 75 days. An earlier attempt resulted in a building that was vacant for 10 years. “We are going to get back in the fight with Wilmington and Greenville,” in competing for tourism and convention business, Veit said.Īnother indicator of the county’s economic strength and resiliency is the status of a shell building the county constructed to attract new industry.
#DOUBLETREE NEW BERN RATE IT UPDATE#
In addition to storm damage repair at the convention center, Craven County plans to expand and update the facility, located near the mouth of the Trent River at the Neuse River.
The venue is undergoing a $12.5 million program of renovation, mitigation, and modernization, Veit said. New Bern Riverfront Convention Center is scheduled to open the end of September with the first event, a Marine Corps Birthday Ball, scheduled in mid-October. The growth occurred despite storm related closures of New Bern Riverfront Convention Center and DoubleTree by Hilton New Bern Riverfront, the city’s largest hotel.ĭoubleTree Hotel is slated to reopen in 2020. The study was prepared for Visit North Carolina by the U.S. The statistics are from the “Economic Impact of Travel on North Carolina Counties 2018,” which can be accessed at /economic-impact-studies. About $3.27 million in local taxes were generated from sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses. State tax revenue generated in Craven County totaled $8.11 million through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income.Total payroll generated by the tourism industry in Craven County was $30.37 million.The travel and tourism industry directly employsmore than 1,180 in Craven County.McCoy, executive director, New Bern-Craven County Convention and Visitor Center. “Tourism has an enormous effect on New Bern and Craven County and we are thrilled with the continued growth in our area,” said Tarshi P. Domestic visitors to and within Craven County spent $149 million in 2018, an increase of 4.96% from 2017, according to an annual study commissioned by Visit North Carolina, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. In fact, 2018 visitor activity to Craven County improved over 2017. The largest street festival in New Bern and Downtown New Bern’s biggest single event, MumFest was held on time just weeks after Hurricane Florence. How does that translate into actual activity? Part-time jobs lost: 128 (DoubleTree impact).Full-time jobs lost: 54 (DoubleTree by Hilton and New Bern Riverfront Convention Center temporarily closed due to storm damage).These numbers contrast with others that are directly related to Hurricane Florence: Total private/public investment in Greater Downtown was $5,771,279.Out of 209 commercial spaces in Greater Downtown, 26 were vacant as of June 30.“As soon as the wind dies down, we’re out putting things back together.”įrom Jto June 30, 2019, Greater Downtown New Bern, a major center for tourism, meetings, and conventions, recorded the following statistics: “To have that many means we’re doing something right,” Veit said. Hurricane Florence was the latest, although Craven County had a near-brush with another disaster in early September 2019 with Hurricane Dorian. A year after Hurricane Florence barreled through in mid-September 2018, New Bern and Craven County have once again proven resiliency in the face of catastrophe.Ĭraven County Manager Jack Veit said Craven County has led the state in federal disaster declarations since 1953, with 22 declarations.
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