Ms. Julie Hanser

Visitation at the estate and overnight stays at its inn were down 6 percent between April and June this year compared with the same period last year, said Julie Hanser, the Biltmore Co.'s vice president of marketing.

The estate kicks off the tourism season in April with its festival of flowers, but the rain seemed to discourage visitors already wary of traveling during the recession, she said.

The weather, and business at the estate, began to improve in June, Hanser said.

"One of the reasons Biltmore estate is so popular is because it's Biltmore House and more," said Julie Hanser, vice president of attraction marketing for Biltmore.

With fewer visitors from Florida, the Gulf Coast, the Northeast and the Midwest, we've been having to rely on the visitors from Raleigh and Charlotte," said Julie Hanser, vice president of attraction marketing for the Biltmore Estate.

But Hanser said Biltmore has started to see sales bouncing back in the past week.
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"We might have a tough summer followed by a gangbusters fall," Hanser said.

Biltmore House and more," said Julie Hanser, vice president of attraction marketing for Biltmore.

At the Biltmore Estate, visitation is running about 5 percent behind last September, according to Julie Hanser, vice president of marketing."We never like to be pacing behind, but we're still in line to have our second-best September ever," she said.

Other attractions are seeing more drastic declines.

The gas shortages and financial crisis in September translated into a 13 percent dip that month, while October has been down about 10 percent, said Julie Hanser, vice president of marketing for the national attraction. "Everybody had a really tough September with the beginning of the banking crisis, and gas availability in this part of the country didn't help."

But a particularly colorful fall leaf season brought more visitors back toward the middle of the month. "We still feel short, but the color this year has been phenomenal and that's a real positive," Hanser said.

Looking ahead, Hanser said reservations for the Candlelight Christmas at Biltmore are slow for the month of November, "but right on target for December."
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"Airlines will continue to struggle with fuel costs, but that positions Asheville and the mountains well since we are in driving distance for so many people," said Hanser.

Ms. Julie Hanser The Biltmore Company One N. Pack Square, Asheville, NC 28801

First, Julie Hanser, Marketing Manager of the Biltmore Estate, presented "Achieving the Good and the Great" in which she reviewed various marketing strategies used by the Estate and its parent company for continued growth. She stressed repeatedly that the business drivers for Biltmore were People and Purpose. "People and purpose always come first for us," she said.