Cold weather is not the only thing breaking records here along the Roanoke. We are thrilled to report that our Roanoke River Paddle Trail closed out 2017 by shattering our previous record for overnight stays.

In spite of some messy weather and flooding, our paddle trail attracted a record-breaking 1384 stays in 2017 – our 20^th anniversary year. The standing record was 1215 in 2013.

What does this increase mean for our region? First of all, it means more visitors responded to our marketing messages which drew them to the natural assets in our region. Note: A good portion of these campers were first-timers.

This record-breaking number of overnight campers is an indication that more day trippers also came through our communities making their way to the Roanoke.

Typically, four to five times as many day trippers access our waterways as those who camp on the river. That projects to over 6000 paddlers drawn to the river bringing much needed revenues with them.

In addition to an increased number of visitors who camped on our river platforms, we had reports of other paddlers staying in local B&Bs and at campgrounds and motels. Naturally, this increase means more customers in our restaurants.

Many bought gas and shopped for incidentals, souvenirs and local products while they are here. This visitor traffic is a welcome windfall for our rural communities – yielding increased revenues for our local businesses.

We were excited to review this end-of-the-year data and realize that the economic impact our partnerships attract to this region continues to grow.

Our most recent economic study, done in cooperation with the Kenan Institute’s NC Growth, revealed that our combined efforts delivered over $554,000 back to our region annually. Updated projections based on these 2017 numbers increase our estimated economic impact to $629,000.

It is hard to believe this is possible from a $75,000 annual operating budget. As we review our achievements, we are reminded that a host of generous volunteers and partners, not a large budget, make this possible.

This impact is achieved through partners who believe there is value in developing and marketing our natural and cultural assets combined with a reasonable amount of local investment to support this work.

As we begin a new year – our 21^st year, we are grateful to all those who have contributed to our continued growth, development and regional successes. We look forward to an even better new year with early indications being promising. Calls and spring reservations are coming in from as far away as Canada.

Here’s to 2018 and to working together to break records and bring even more favor to our Roanoke River communities!

Carol Jones Shields is the Executive Director of Roanoke River Partners, Inc. You can contact her at (252) 798-3920 or director@roanokeriverpartners.org. You can learn more about Roanoke River Partners at www.roanokeriverpartners.org.