By Patrick Adrian
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
NEWPORT — A new survey funded by Sullivan County seeks input from county residents and stakeholders on a spectrum of topics — from the quality of restaurants to outdoor recreation — to facilitate the county’s ongoing effort to boost regional tourism and spur economic growth.
The survey, announced on Monday on the Sullivan County Facebook page, is the county’s latest information-gathering tool to guide the county’s regional marketing plan, aimed to attract people from outside the region to the county’s assets, from its historical and cultural attractions to its diversity of outdoor recreational opportunities.
The project, dubbed the Sugar River Region Destination Development Initiative, “is designed to help us grow our visitor economy while improving the quality of life for our residents,” according to project officials.
The online survey takes approximately five to 10 minutes to complete and responses are anonymously recorded. A link to the survey may be found on the Facebook page, “Sullivan County New Hampshire Government.” A link to the survey may be found at qualtrics.com.
The survey’s questions center around the county’s “visitor economy,” a broad term referring to any economic activity, direct or indirect, that results from a visitor to the county, regardless of purpose, the survey explains.
“In 2020, even during a global pandemic, visitors spent almost $55 million in our county, generating over $2.7 million in taxes and creating 828 jobs for our residents,” project officials stated. “While this is impressive, we know we can do better, considering visitors spent $108 million in Cheshire County, $512 million in Grafton County, and $544 million in Merrimack County.”
The survey incorporates multiple question-formats, from statement-agreement questions to ranking items based on priority or the quality or quantity of offerings.
Survey-takers are asked to evaluate the region in regard to lodging; restaurants, shopping and nightlife; arts and cultural venues; historical landmarks; and outdoor recreation, including fishing and trails.
Importantly the survey results will also inform the county’s Sugar River Region Trails Project, a $25,000 study and plan being developed in partnership with the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission.
This project, funded with money received from the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, will inventory and assess every trail system in Sullivan County, identify the system’s strengths and needs and develop a plan to boost public engagement in the system’s support and development.
Participants are also asked for their opinion on the effectiveness of various marketing strategies, such as the use of social media, print or television advertising, publicity events or offering promotional packages.
The survey also asks participants to identify the importance of the region’s needs to be an effective regional destination, such as the availability of broadband, workforce availability and parking.
Interestingly the survey also strives to gauge opinions that might be less receptive to tourism growth, with questions that ask survey-takers if they have concerns or fears about potential increases in traffic or littering in natural areas or change to communities as a result of population growth or development.
The county began its regional marketing initiative four years ago in partnership with the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, which included the hiring of Community and Economic Development Field Specialist Penelope Whitman to oversee development of the county’s strategic plan.
Last year the county adopted the brand “The Sugar River Region” to convey the county’s unifying identity. The brand includes a carefully crafted logo that pieces elements of the county’s natural and manmade assets, from its hardwood forests to a distant wooden bridge that crosses the winding Sugar River as it disappears into a mountainous backdrop.
In addition to the marketing plan, Sullivan County continues to operate a campaign to help build the needed workforce for local industries, which the county targets through the provision of free adult education courses at the Sugar River Valley Regional Technical Center, through a partnership with the local vocational schools and employment agency TPI Staffing.
The survey will remain open until Jan. 31.
reporter @eagletimes.com
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