2021 CDA Highlights:

• Record-breaking traffic to the CDA's Tourism-Facing site, ChimneyRock.org  See the 12-month report here

• Co-hosted the 30th Anniversary Celebration of the founding of the Chimney Rock Village Government. 

• Trash pickup and trail cleanup events in the Village

• Sustained promotion of the "Path Pavers" Engraved Brick Program to help build a pedestrian walkway between the Village and Lake Lure. 

• Sponsoring the Annual Trick-or-Treat on Main Street & the Annual Scarecrow Contest which brings scores of locals and visitors into the Village every year.

• Serving as a viable and supportive partner with Chimney Rock Village and Rutherford Bound in the dissemination of information to our member businesses for the new Village Plaza Entrance to the Rocky Broad Riverwalk

• Co-host to the unveiling of the New Phase One Plaza Entrance

• With the public's renewed interest in outdoor activities, your CDA has focused a great deal of its own promotion this year on the attractions that are unique to the Village.  The Rocky Broad RiverWalk, the new Village Boulders Trail, the Flowering Bridge, and of course, the iconic Chimney Rock Park, all continue to experience strong visitation. 

• Promotion of the New Villages Boulder Trail

• Four consecutive years of dedicated professional promotion of the Village - all possible because of YOUR Support!

 

When we reported on the State of the Village to you this time last year, the picture was filled with the unknown.

All around us, the stories and challenges were alarming and too close to home.  Businesses were still reeling from the impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic. Some friends, family members, and colleagues were sick or feeling isolated and still too unsure to venture out or take new chances with their businesses.
Whoever said that not much changes in a small town clearly never owned a business in a small town.
To that end, this year's annual report is not one of defeat or uncertainty. It is one of resilience, grit, determination, and vision for the place we cherish together. Our Village business community continues to bounce back and spring forward stronger, wiser, and more hopeful.
That hope is grounded in a collective and sincere appreciation to our visitors who respond time and again to our sustained invitation to come, to shop, to stay, and to experience Chimney Rock Village.

Because of your CDA's ongoing commitment to professional marketing resources to continue promoting the Village, and keeping it in the forefront as a "destination of distinction," tourism in the Village has remained robust throughout 2021.  This simply could not happen without your membership dues of $125 a year per business owned. Where else can owners of small businesses with limited budgets receive dedicated marketing and promotional support of their destination and their business for $125 a year?

The fact is: No other organization in Rutherford County is dedicated exclusively to promoting Chimney Rock Village as a unique destination all its own.
And while we are all mindful of how the Rutherford County Tourism Development Authority markets the Village to the wider world, and how the HNG Chamber focuses on the Gorge, our own efforts remain focused only on the Village and on you, our businesses.

Based on data insights from our web and social media channels, as well as direct inquiries via our online chat feature and email submissions, our primary audiences continue to come from Charlotte and the greater Mecklenburg County area, Spartanburg, and Greenville, SC., Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. Additionally, our Facebook page has a following of nearly 13,000 loyal fans.