Kim Hufham, president and CEO of the Wilmington and Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), provided an update this week on the organization’s new 10-year tourism master plan.

After wrapping up an initial phase of the plan earlier this year, the CVB is now gathering final feedback from local stakeholders, Hufham said on Wednesday during a presentation to the Wilmington Area Hospitality Association. This feedback will be incorporated into the master plan, which is expected to be presented to the local Tourism Development Authority (TDA) in October.

“We want to facilitate greater collaboration and alignment,” Hufham said. “We want to identify our new destination products and experiences that complement our existing assets. And, last but not least, we want to understand the threats and the opportunities to our destination moving forward over the next 10 years.”

Hufham outlined the plan's four pillars, which are enhancing competitiveness and seasonal stability strategies aimed at strengthening the area’s year-round appeal and market positioning; recognizing the area’s tourism dependency by defining approaches that acknowledge and support tourism as a vital economic driver; preparing the CVB for the future by ensuring it’s equipped for evolving roles and responsibilities; and maximizing additional opportunities for tourism success by exploring new avenues for growth and sustainability within the tourism industry.

“The tourism master plan gives our community a 10-year vision of growing and evolving together to make Wilmington and our island beaches the best coastal destination to live and visit,” Hufham said. “This is your plan, built from conversations and insights from our very own community.”

One of the main goals of the plan is to make the area a year-round destination, rather than just during the peak summer months.

“We want to, number one, emphasize our seasonal stability,” Hufham said. “Because bolstering business volume over softer periods of the year, or as we often refer to it as our off-season, fits with our business community's needs for generating year-round employment opportunities and allows us to be more consistent with overall product offerings and impacts associated with our tourism economy.”

During the initial planning phases, community and business surveys were conducted to gather information. Many residents said a lack of adequate parking was one of their biggest concerns.

“The CVB, TDA, we in this room, can't solve that problem,” Hufham said. “But we can advocate for our leaders who are in charge of that to do that.”

With all the Wilmington area has to offer, she said, there is a bright future for tourism with the community working together.

“We're making plans now to ensure our leadership is strong and ready for the opportunities that lie ahead,” Hufham said.

Many attendees voiced their support for the plan. Jeromi Quincy, Hotel Lela’s dual general manager, said he views the planning effort as a “promise” to the community and its visitors.

“By uplifting and revitalizing Wilmington as a vibrant destination, we are honoring our city’s character while creating new opportunities for connection, culture and commerce,” Quincy said. “This will help ensure that Wilmington’s future as a tourism hub will be both sustainable and inspiring, benefiting residents and travelers alike.”