Found it! "Study to help tourism authority on occupancy tax"

Thanks to the Henderson County Library reference desk, I have found the article on the occupancy tax that I was looking for. The story was printed on January 24 and it wasn't on the main front page, but on the Community section front page. It's not available online for some reason (the Times-News is usually very good about posting their articles) so I'm going to copy it below.

The research study is expected to be completed in April so I'm guessing that the county commissioners will not act on the occupancy tax issue until at least then.

Study to help tourism authority on occupancy tax
By Nathaniel Axtell
Times-News Staff Writer

Consultants began a travel and tourism research study this week that will help the Henderson County Tourism Development Authority determine whether or not to recommend raising the county's occupancy tax by 1 percent.

State legislators gave county commissioners the power last year to increase the room tax from 5 percent to 6 percent, with proceeds directed toward the Flat Rock Playhouse. But commissioners delayed acting on the matter until the TDA weighed in.

Authority members are reserving judgement on the occupancy tax issue until they get the preliminary results of a benchmark travel and tourism research study in April. It's being conducted by consultant Young Strategies Inc. of Charlotte.

Company president Berkeley Young and N.C. State University professor Larry Gustke were in town this week to begin collecting data for their study, which is designed to help the TDA focus its marketing efforts.

The researchers met with local retailers, lodging providers and other tourism-related businesses at the inaugural Henderson County Tourism Conference Wednesday at Blue Ridge Community College.

"Our focus in this research study is to help you as a board and as a community understand there's lots of things you can do, and everybody has great ideas, but how can you use research and statistics to determine where you'll get the biggest bang for your buck?" Young said during the TDA meeting Tuesday.

Young, former director of Rutherford County's tourism authority, said one component of the research will look at lodging occupancy, which he said should help the TDA in its report to commissioners. One of their chief goals, he said, is to identify "when do we have empty beds in which to put heads?"

The county's accommodations industry is so diverse, Young said, that his company will develop separate questionnaires "so we make sure we understand the cabins and rental market versus the bed & breakfast/inn market, versus the hotel/motel market."

Young's company will also collect email addresses from county visitors when they visit local accommodations or attractions and ask them to complete an online survey. Visitors can win one of three $100 Visa gift cards for participating, he said.