Statesville Tourism Development Authority Earns ConventionSouth Readers’ Choice Award, Releases FY2026 Annual Report

Download the FY2026 Annual Report

The Statesville Tourism Development Authority (TDA) today announced it has been named a 2026 ConventionSouth Readers’ Choice Award winner and released its FY2026 Annual Report, documenting a year of destination marketing growth, strategic partnerships and measurable contributions to the local visitor economy.

The annual award is decided by ConventionSouth readers, the meeting professionals who plan events across 16 Southern states and Washington, D.C. It recognizes the Authority’s commitment to serving meeting planners, supporting group travel and strengthening Statesville’s position as a destination for meetings and events. Winners will be featured in the magazine’s December 2026 Awards Issue.

The award honors the Authority as a destination marketing organization, one that works with accommodations, meeting venues, attractions and local businesses to connect planners with the people, services and experiences that make events successful.

The FY2026 Annual Report, approved by the TDA board on Sept. 22, 2026, covers July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.

“This recognition is particularly meaningful because it celebrates the people and relationships behind our destination,” said Cindy Charlton Sutton, TMP, executive director of the Statesville Tourism Development Authority. “We may be a small team, but our commitment to Statesville is significant. We work every day to connect visitors, meeting planners and event organizers with the experiences that make this community worth the stop and the stay.”

Sutton and Destination Services Manager John Stum lead the Authority’s destination services efforts, supported by an integrated team of marketing, communications and creative professionals.

“Meeting planners aren’t simply choosing a meeting room. They’re choosing a destination and the people who will help make their event successful,” Sutton added. “This award reflects the hospitality partners who work alongside us to make that possible.”

The report documents progress in destination marketing, visitor engagement, sports tourism and financial stewardship. Highlights include:

• Visitor-funded stewardship. Statesville’s 5% lodging tax, paid by visitors, generated $1,381,428 in FY2026. Under the city’s 80/20 allocation, $1,105,142 supported the Statesville Civic Center and $276,286 supported tourism promotion and destination development.

• Paid media performance. The January through June 2026 program delivered 5.77 million ads, generating 97,671 clicks or responses and 411,636 tracked website actions.

• Social media growth. Destination storytelling generated 2.1 million impressions, up 29.5% year over year, while video views increased 72.9%.

• Sports tourism. The World Weightlifting Challenge & Games welcomed approximately 140 athletes and generated an estimated 448 hotel room nights. Statesville also hosted the Babe Ruth Southeast Regional Tournament for the first time in Iredell County.

• Growing Charlotte-area interest. Overnight trips from the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia market rose 27.9% to 4,200, the largest increase among Statesville’s top origin markets.

• Countywide visitor spending. Visit North Carolina reported $441.37 million in 2025 visitor spending across Iredell County, up 2.8% and supporting 2,564 direct tourism jobs. These figures are countywide, not Statesville-only.

“Tourism is economic development with a welcome attached,” Sutton said. “Visitors support our hotels, restaurants, shops, attractions and local jobs. Our responsibility is to make Statesville visible, give travelers a reason to stay and demonstrate the community value created through tourism investment.”

Since 2021, Spokeology has provided the Authority’s operational, administrative and marketing services under TDA board oversight. In FY2026, Sutton was appointed to the Southeastern Tourism Society Board of Directors, representing North Carolina.

FY2027 priorities include strengthening destination demand, expanding group travel and visitor services, restoring industry engagement and improving measurement of tourism’s economic contributions.

“Recognition is wonderful, but the real value is in the work, the relationships and the visitors who choose to spend time in Statesville,” Sutton said. “Our Annual Report helps tell that story, and this award gives us another reason to celebrate the partners who make it possible.”

The FY2026 Annual Report is available at [Link]. Information for meeting planners and group travel is available at www.StatesvilleNC.com/conventions-and-meetings/.

Dylan Sutton

Brand + Communication Strategist, Spokeology

980-866-3488

[email protected]