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Consultant presents four‑point plan to broaden Chapel Hill/Orange County tourism beyond UNC
Summary
Chris Cavanaugh of Magellan Strategies presented a strategic plan recommending four focus areas—sales and promotion, bureau role, research and metrics, and UNC partnership—to grow year‑round tourism, encourage visitor dispersal, and measure community impacts; board members asked Cavanaugh to include guidance on balancing marketing vs. asset investment in his final report.
Chris Cavanaugh, a consultant with Magellan Strategies, presented a strategic plan to the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau Advisory Board on Feb. 18, 2026 that urged the bureau to move beyond a campus‑centered marketing approach and to invest in four core areas: destination sales and promotion; clarifying the bureau’s and board’s roles; expanding accountability, research and metrics; and strengthening the relationship with the University of North Carolina.
Cavanaugh said the University is the dominant driver of tourism in the area and warned that reliance on the campus can create assumptions that hotels and venues will always fill when classes are in session. He recommended targeting high‑value customers and shoulder periods with tactical initiatives—packaging, events, advertising, and public relations—to increase year‑round occupancy and average daily rates, and to tell a broader destination story that highlights food and beverage, outdoor recreation, agritourism, and the arts.
On the bureau’s governance, Cavanaugh urged the board and staff to formalize roles and responsibilities, produce monthly destination metrics for education and oversight, and use ad hoc task forces when needed. He also recommended a rewritten mission and vision that emphasizes the bureau’s role in collaborative economic development.
For accountability and research, Cavanaugh recommended periodic consumer and planner research, investment in new market‑data tools such as geolocation studies, and creation of a destination dashboard to track visitor flows, economic impact, and outcomes that matter to the community—examples he cited included small business growth, visitor dispersal, and visit satisfaction in addition to standard DMO ROI measures.
On UNC, Cavanaugh described the relationship as “relatively productive” but said collaboration must be led intentionally. He suggested identifying UNC’s strategic needs, building awareness among key university staff, and assessing the lodging and business impacts of major events. He noted the bureau should begin preparations with UNC and partners for the 2029 World University Games.
Board members asked for further detail. Jon Hartman‑Brown (Town of Carrboro Economic Development) asked whether the final written report would address how to balance investment in marketing versus investment in destination assets; Cavanaugh said he would address that balance in the final study. Meredith Saybe (Union Grove Farms) and Heidi Werner‑Dawson (Carolina Inn) supported the idea of a “stay the extra day” campaign to help agritourism and lodging capture more economic benefit from visits.
Cavanaugh closed the presentation by asking, “what does success look like?” and proposed measuring both traditional tourism metrics (occupancy, lodging tax revenue, visitor spending) and community outcomes such as partner engagement and small business growth.
The presentation prompted the board to consider forming subcommittees to explore select recommendations and next steps; DR Bryan later asked the board to form committees on bureau structure, mission/vision, and Hillsborough development.
