A new survey shows the perception of Durham is getting better nationwide, but Convention and Visitors Bureau leaders know there are minds to change in the Triangle.

The nationwide survey, conducted by Opinion Research Corporation revealed:

· By 9-1, people have a positive image of Durham

· Three percent have a negative image of the city

· One percent of people are very negative about it

"It showed some significant improvement since 1995 when we started to benchmark Durham's image nationally," said Reyn Bowman, president and CEO of The Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Since we've been marketing, 25 to 35 percent more people know about us."

Bowman said, since 1995:

awareness has improved 25 percent
negatives have been reduced by two-thirds
the positive-to-negative ratio has tripled.

One of the biggest issues: publicity of violent crime, gang-related violence, and word of mouth. Maureen O'Brien, who's on her second visit to Durham, started hearing about the city after family moved here.

"Subsequent to their coming here and really, by coincidence more than anything, I discovered some things about Durham that actually are a little troubling: the crime statistics," she said. "I see it's a city that has had challenges in terms of its housing and amenities and I think they're trying to reclaim it...to make a more livable city."

"I like the fact that it feels like it's pulling itself back up by its bootstraps, so to speak."

Jeff Whitelow, who's visiting his sister in graduate school, said Durham has grown on him.

"I don't look at it the same way as the media might look at it," he said. "It's a highly cultured city. I was introduced with my parents who were visiting on the east coast with the dance festival at Duke."

About 5.5 million people visit Durham each year. The Convention and Visitors Bureau says:

80 percent are day trips (within a 100 mile radius)
20 percent are overnight trips

Bowman said Durham's tourism is strong among Wake County/Raleigh and Orange County/Chapel Hill.

"If you measure the people who travel just between the three counties for purposes other than work or school...Durham drives the highest market share," he said. "Some of that's because we're in between...easy to get to for both. Some of it's because it's a very unique cultural identity."

But the Convention and Visitors Bureau knows that it has to tackle an image problem in those counties, too. A news release this summer showed "more than 70 percent of Wake residents and over 60 percent of Orange residents report that from what some people say, they would expect a negative experience in Durham."

"The largest factor is what people say," Bowman said. "So it's still a gossip issue."