Construction Begins on New Visitor Info Center in Uptown Charlotte
Structure on plaza at corner of East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Tryon Street to become new Visitor Info Center
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (May 17, 2017) – The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA) is offering a new resource for visitors in Charlotte—a Visitor Info Center on the corner of Tryon Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Construction is slated to begin this week on the existing two-story metal structure on the plaza at the corner of East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Tryon Street, which will be enclosed with glass walls, windows and doors on the lower level to create the Visitor Info Center. Construction will take place over the next several months with a targeted completion date of fall 2017.
“On the heels of National Travel & Tourism week, we are excited to announce the addition of a new Visitor Info Center in Charlotte,” says CRVA CEO Tom Murray. “Local experts will be stationed at the new location to offer dynamic and inspiring visitor information about what to see, do, eat, explore and experience in Charlotte. These local experts are often the first touch point for visitors, and this new location will help us meet visitors where they are."
The core focus of the space will be to provide a wealth of visitor information to guests in a high-traffic, high-visibility location. Visitor Info Center staff will be on-site to provide a variety of destination brochures and collateral, like the Charlotte Official Visitors Guide, Happenings magazine, maps, directories, etc., to help visitors discover the Queen City. The center will also feature Charlotte-themed retail offerings and souvenirs.
On one side of the site, a food option will be offered. This will likely be quick bites or coffee. On the other side of the site facing Tryon Street, there will be opportunity for another small operation such as the Tryon Street flower vendors or other purveyors. Large colorful awnings with LED lighting will add visual interest and transform the space, while also offering cover to outside vendors. The current upper level will remain open-air and open to the public during Visitor Info Center business hours (Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.).
For more than 20 years, the original Visitor Info Center was housed inside the building at 330 S. Tryon St. where the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce is located. Space was sublet from the Chamber and there was a partnership between their relocation resource Info! Charlotte and the Visitor Info Center. When the Charlotte Chamber began renovations on the space in late 2014, the Visitor Info Center relocated to the Charlotte Convention Center. This location features two concierge stations and a retail space near the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard entrance. Additional operations for the Visitor Info Center include a Charlotte Douglas International Airport location in the baggage claim area (established in 2007), a satellite site at Levine Museum of the New South with visitor resources including guides and brochures (established in 2007). In addition to the new space on Tryon Street, the existing Visitor Info Center locations will remain open.
In 2016, 27.8 million people visited Charlotte, and the Visitor Info Center operations, which include the Visitor Info Centers at the Charlotte Convention Center and Charlotte Douglas International Airport, serviced 254,365 inquiries via phone, email, letter, mail, ad responses and walk-in traffic. The new Visitor Info Center location on Tryon Street will provide a centrally located resource in an area where foot traffic has increased significantly over the past several years. Visitor Info Center staff service a diverse mix of people including visitors, newcomers, and residents exploring and working in Uptown Charlotte. The Visitor Info Center is often one of the first experiences visitors have in Charlotte, making staff guidance on what to see and do, background on the city and one-on-one interactions extremely critical to their overall visit.
To stay up to date on the construction of the new Visitor Info Center, visit crva.com and follow @CLTtourism on Twitter.
Download a rendering of the new Visitor Info Center here.
About Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA)
The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA) works to ensure the visitors and events that choose Charlotte have a positive experience. Our responsibilities include destination marketing through Visit Charlotte and management of Charlotte’s public assembly facilities, which include the Charlotte Convention Center, Spectrum Center, Bojangles’ Coliseum, Ovens Auditorium and the NASCAR Hall of Fame. CRVA’s mission seeks to leverage its hospitality marketing and management expertise to maximize the impact of the Charlotte region’s economy, creating opportunities and jobs for the community. Learn more at crva.com.