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
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