N.C.'s Eastern Region unveils interactive tourism Web site

Although Global Information Systems mapping technology is widely used among planning agencies and economic development organizations, it made its tourism debut Tuesday with the unveiling of the Visitnceast.org Web site.

Officials with the North Carolina's Eastern Region Development Commission, which is based at Kinston's Global TransPark, spent about eight months developing the site. It allows users planning a trip to Eastern North Carolina to plug in a desired activity or location and get back a wealth of information on the resources available.

Eastern Region staff members Kathy Howard and Erin Eatman worked with San Francisco firm GIS Planning Inc. to design the site.

Al Delia, president and CEO of the Eastern Region, said it is the first tourism-related site in the world to use GIS mapping technology.

"It will allow you to determine what you want to do in Eastern North Carolina," he said Tuesday before a group of about 12 elected and civic leaders from Lenoir and its surrounding counties.

As an example, a traveler who wants to spend a week in Kinston can select "What to do," then any type of activity, and then the name of the city from the menu.

A Google-brand map displays indicators of locations specific to the user's choice, and below the map, there is a list of names, addresses and contact information.

A traveler to Kinston who selects "All" from the menu receives a list that includes the Neuseway Nature Center, the Kinston Drag Strip, Grainger Stadium, the CSS Neuse II replica and many others.

The information was provided by tourism officials from each of the 13 member counties in N.C.'s Eastern Region.

"It really is incumbent upon those people in each county to make sure the information is accurate," Delia said.

Jan Barwick, assistant executive director of the Kinston-Lenoir County Convention and Visitors Bureau, provided Lenoir County's information for the site.

"(Users) will be able to click on Lenoir County and see how much we do have to offer, which will be wonderful," she said.

Delia explained that the site can be continuously updated. It includes a feature that allows users who have traveled to Eastern North Carolina and discovered an establishment not listed on the site to add the relevant information to the database.

"This is a site that can be populated with information literally from anywhere in the world," he said.

Eastern Region leaders plan a major marketing blitz for the site in national magazines on billboards and elsewhere.

Delia said the agency paid $143,000 to build the site and will also pick up annual maintenance costs of about $21,800 per year for two years. He plans to offset some of those costs by selling advertising space on the site.

"You have to pay a premium when you're the first in the world to do something," said Delia.

David Anderson can be reached at (252) 559-1077 or danderson@freedomenc.com.

Web address: www.visitnceast.org

For more information on North Carolina's Eastern Region Development Commission, visit www.nceast.org.

To add information of Lenoir County visitors' sites, visit the Web site or contact Jan Barwick, assistant executive director of the local Convention and Visitors Bureau, at jbarwick@visitkinston.com.