Abstract:
There was a time when tourist activity at the beach all but ended after Labor Day, but that changed between 1989 and 1998 in the state's four principal coastal counties. Brunswick, Carteret, Dare, and New Hanover Counties marketed themselves as year-round tourist destinations. So successful were they that tourism revenue almost doubled during that ten-year period. Mild winters, an improved highway system, and new tourist facilities contributed to the increase.