Southport Magazine

There’s an episode of “The Simpsons” in which the town of Springfield is celebrating its annual “Snake Whackin’ Day,” during which, as you might imagine, residents whack any snakes they find with sticks. Lisa Simpson tries to put an end to the celebration, eventually enlisting the help of soul legend Barry White, who throws a benefit concert and sings in his low, sultry voice, “Please don’t whack the snakes.” As we head into tourist season, we, along with the Southport-Oak Island Chamber of Commerce, are asking you, dear readers who live here year round, please don’t whack the tourists.

We know you wouldn’t ever actually hit our visitors with sticks, but we’re asking for extra kindness and patience where our tourists are concerned. The Chamber’s Tourism Counts campaign is trying to engender a more welcoming attitude amongst locals this year, and they have some very convincing arguments as to why we should welcome visitors to our towns with open arms, and even encourage more. 

The most cut and dried benefit of tourism is the funds raised by the accommodations tax paid on every short-term rental in the county. Brunswick County keeps a portion for tourism development, and a portion is kept by each town in which the rental is located. These funds go to pay for “tourism-related” expenses, but many of the things that make this a great place to vacation also make this a great place to live. 

For example, the Town of Oak Island raised more than $4.6 million from accommodations taxes in 2022. A portion of this, $1,863,906, was used for dune maintenance and beach nourishment and the rest, $2,795,861, was used to on those “tourist-related items” such as funding the Citizen Beach Patrol, repairing and maintaining beach accesses, repairs to bulkheads on the Intracoastal Waterway, and installation and upkeep of port-a-johns at numerous beach accesses. 

Without tourism, town taxpayers would be footing these bills out of property taxes, or simply going without these amenities. 

What would a Brunswick County with far fewer tourists be like? Chamber Executive Vice President Karen Sphar set out to find out, and found Harnett County, which has approximately the same 140,000 population and a similar median income to Brunswick County, but much less tourist activity. 

According to state statistics, Brunswick County enjoyed $957 million in visitor spending in 2021 compared to Harnett County’s $104 million. The taxes collected on this spending, including sales and accommodations, saved each Brunswick County resident $556.73 in local taxes compared to $194.52 for each Harnett resident. 

What was more striking to me personally, and more important, was the difference in business activity. Harnett County’s residents and tourists support 1,774 “employer establishments,” or put simply, businesses in which folks can work. Brunswick County, by contrast, has 2,639 employers. 

Yes, that means jobs, but it also means quality of life. The difference between our two counties is tourism. That tourism supports 1,865 addition businesses. Those are the shops we enjoy and the restaurants in which we dine. Those are grocery stores that wouldn’t be here without the influx of summer tourists. It is simply easier and more enjoyable to live here because this is a destination that is designed to be enjoyable. That’s why people come here, and if you are like us, it’s why we live here. 

My time on the Southport-Oak Island Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and the past year serving as president, has driven home the importance of making our communities welcoming and attractive to current residents, visitors, and those looking for the perfect place to live. That attraction, and the people it brings to our community, are the life-blood of our economy.

So when it’s hard to get a table at your favorite restaurant, remember that restaurant would probably have a difficult time surviving without the tourists. When you’re stuck behind a family staring vacantly at the cereal in the grocery store, remember that we have a variety of grocery shopping options because of the tourists. When it takes extra time to get anywhere during “the season,” remember that the tourists you’re behind are helping pay for the roads. When you’re looking extra long for a spot to park at the beach, remember that keeping that beach, and the access to it we all enjoy, is dependent in large part on the tourists sunning themselves on the strand. 

Please have some patience and keep things in perspective this summer. Be part of what makes this a great place for a family to visit on what may be its only big trip of the year. 

And please, please don’t whack the tourists.