CVB celebrates tourism pioneers
Riverboats, horse-drawn carriages and walking tours spotlighted
![Janet and John Pucci, owners of the horse-drawn carriage business in downtown Wilmington, received a congratulatory phone call after being named Tourism Pioneers by the Convention and Visitors Bureau on Friday morning. Also honored were Cape Fear Riverboats owner Carl Marshburn and history walking tour guide Bob Jenkins. [BILL WALSH/FOR THE STARNEWS]](/gcdn/authoring/2018/05/11/NSTN/ghows-NC-6befee07-3554-07aa-e053-0100007f0809-bcd7ccb4.jpeg?width=660&height=541&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
WILMINGTON -- Tourism in the tri-county area has grown exponentially over recent decades, which is not news to anyone who lives here and uses the roads in summer. But on Friday, the Wilmington and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau celebrated the pioneering role played by three long-time locals in fostering that growth.
Themed “Travel Then and Now,” the CVB breakfast celebrated the contributions of tourism in general -- in 2016, $553.6 million in annual tourism expenditures generating nearly $50 million in state and local taxes, supporting 6,150 jobs with payrolls in excess of $129 a year -- and of three downtown Wilmington tourism pioneers: Cape Fear Riverboats owner Carl Marshburn, horse-drawn carriage owners Janet and John Pucci, and historic walking tour entrepreneur Bob Jenkins in particular.
Wilmington -- recently named as a 2018 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice “Top Destination on the Rise” -- wasn’t always like this, Marshburn said in receiving his recognition plaque. “We get the credit, I guess, for starting this, but there were plenty of people here before us. When we first came here, there is no doubt that there wasn’t a lot of tourism; we would sit down there and talk with each other a lot.”
“We were pretty much convinced when we came here that things were going the right way,” John Pucci said. “We saw the potential, the same as Carl, and we have been happy to be part of it and hope that we have added to it.”
The CVB also presented the organization’s second Tourism Star Award, this year to AnnaLee Berry of Carolina Beach’s Surf House Bar & Restaurant and the Southerly Biscuit and Pie.
UNCW’s Dr. Donald Barnes delivered Friday’s keynote address, directing his remarks to the difference between customer satisfaction and customer delight -- and how achieving the latter can positively affect the bottom line.
Visit the CVB's website at www.GoWilmingtonAndBeaches.com to learn more about local attractions.
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