The goal of UPLIFT NC is to support tourism to rural North Carolina communities. We do this by providing tourism practitioners and local leaders with the knowledge and resources to strengthen and connect tourism sites, services and businesses in targeted regions within the State. This includes natural, recreational, cultural, agricultural, culinary, built as well as other tourism experiences and services.

The UPLIFT NC program has six building blocks that together are the foundation for comprehensive and successful tourism in a region. This program is built on the NatureScapes UPLIFT framework. Each building block includes practical solutions that help to address a specific tourism need. As every location is different, the communities within each region is able to select which solutions match their tourism priorities and needs.

The UPLIFT NC building blocks include Understanding (tourism knowledge and context), Planning (participatory planning to know what a community wants to achieve with tourism and how to get there), Link (build local networks as well as connect tourism experiences and their stories through itineraries), Innovate (enhance the tourism experiences offered), Finance (connecting with, and accessing resources) and Tell (tell the story of the region to attract visitors)