Weekly e-newsletter for Visit NC partners
April 4, 2018
IN THIS ISSUE:
*  Real-life travelers featured in new Visit NC marketing campaign
* TRAC coming to Haywood, Madison counties regions April 11-12
* New feature film awarded N.C. Film Grant
The Coast video features a mother and daughter seeing the ocean for the first time
Real-life travelers featured in new Visit NC marketing campaign
 
This week marks the formal launch of Visit North Carolina's Firsts That Last marketing and advertising campaign. Previewed with industry partners at the recent Visit NC 365 Conference, the effort taps the power of firsts to create memories that last, and documents real-life travelers coming to the state for the first time and experiencing a first in their lives. Representing the most comprehensive and integrated marketing campaign in memory for Visit NC, prospective visitors will be inspired by the stories of three pairs of travelers in 60- and 30-second commercials on television and in movie theaters, streaming video, digital display and native advertising, print, transit advertising in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., and an aggressive media relations push. Longer-form videos of each pair of travelers featured on an all-new VisitNC.com showcase the special nature and emotion of their experiences in North Carolina including seeing the ocean, tasting moonshine and exploring spectacular waterfalls, all for the first time. While the campaign has national and international reach, the geographic focus for the initial phase, running through June, is in the state's traditional markets east of the Mississippi with a more concentrated effort in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Nashville, Columbus (Ohio), Orlando and Philadelphia. More about the travelers' North Carolina firsts and their journeys is found on the Firsts That Last landing page on VisitNC.com.

A previous TRAC in Swan Quarter had NC State Parks in attendance
TRAC coming to Haywood, Madison counties regions April 11 - 12

Next week, tourism-related businesses in Haywood and Madison counties - including the surrounding counties - will have an opportunity to work with Visit North Carolina staff to learn about its research, development and marketing services, and discuss best practices in reaching travelers, the media and increasing tourism visitation and spending. Visit North Carolina's Tourism Resource Assistance Center (TRAC) is a community-based training program designed to help small tourism-related businesses.  On Wednesday, April 11, TRAC will be held 10 am - 2 pm at Lake Junaluska's Harrell Center Auditorium located at 710 N. Lakeshore Dr. in Lake Junaluska. On Thursday, April 12, TRAC will be held in the Mars Hill University Ferguson Health Sciences Center at 211 Cascade St. in Mars Hill. The TRAC session will be integrated in the Madison County Tourism Partnership's Tourism Summit (pre-registration is requested); both TRAC and the Summit are open to non-Madison County tourism partners. For those unable to attend the Tourism Summit, TRAC will be held 10:30 am - 2:30 pm.
 
There is no charge to attend, no reservation is required, and there are no PowerPoint presentations. This is a come-when-you-can/stay-as-long-as-you'd-like event opportunity for all tourism-related businesses to meet one-on-one with program managers to discuss better ways to promote their property or event. TRAC brings Visit North Carolina's program managers to local communities to discuss the nuts and bolts of working with the organization. This invaluable program is designed to help tourism-related businesses engage more fully with programs offered by Visit North Carolina and its partners.

Representatives from the EDPNC's BLNC, N.C. Welcome Centers/Visitor Services, N.C. State Parks, Agritourism, and NC GreenTravel are often on hand to discuss services they can provide businesses, including strategic planning, assisting with identifying funding sources and serving as liaisons with other local, state and federal agencies. For additional information on this session or to learn more about scheduling a TRAC visit to your community, contact
André Nabors at (919) 447-7771.

New feature film awarded N.C. Film Grant

Two projects have been awarded N.C. Film and Entertainment Grants to support productions in Wilmington and the High Point area, Governor Roy Cooper announced Tuesday (yesterday). The awardees include the feature film Words on Bathroom Walls, an adaptation of an acclaimed novel, and a set of five commercials for Home Depot. Based on its application, the Words on Bathroom Walls production, which will be based at EUE/Screen Gems Studios, is expected to spend more than $9.3 million locally and hire around 120 crewThe Home Depot ad production is expected to have an in-state economic impact of $2.5 million; each commercial is expected to create 55 crew positions.

Frontier Airlines to fly nonstop to RDU from three Northeastern cities

Frontier Airlines announced today (Wednesday) that it will begin nonstop flights to Raleigh-Durham International Airport from three cities in the Northeast. Service from Syracuse, N.Y., starts July 2 and will run on Mondays and Fridays. Portland, Maine, to RDU is scheduled to start July 21 with flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Service from Harrisburg, Penn., also begins July 21 and will run on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The flights will be seasonal, with service slated to stop sometime in November.

Vote for N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores for Best Aquarium among 'spring break favorites'
 
The N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores in Pine Knoll Shores is among the "spring break favorite" nominees in 10Best's Readers' Choice Awards for Best Aquarium. Online voting by readers is now open via USAToday.com's website. Click on the hyperlink to vote. Voting ends April 30 at noon.

Outer Banks in the golfing spotlight

In its Spring 2018 issue, the Outer Banks was featured in Links magazine's "The Frugal Golfer" with "Outer the Way," noting to "Slow down, relax, and enjoy the easy-going attractions of this remote strip of sand." In addition to offering golf courses as suggestions for where to play, there was also advice for where to eat and where to stay.

Charlotte Food & Wine Weekend among '10 food and wine festivals in April'

USA Today's Travel - Food and Wine section included the Charlotte Food & Wine Weekend among its "10 food and wine festivals in April." The online photo gallery included two photos for the April event, noting "Chefs and wine makers from around the globe host dinners, a gala and a grand tasting to benefit charitable organizations in Charlotte."

Going green with sustainable landscaping

Utilizing sustainable landscaping (organic pest control) is an excellent way of offsetting negative environmental impacts of a business. Landscaping for sustainability prevents harm to flora and fauna and their habitats, prevents sedimentation of surface waters due to storm water runoff, health problems caused by toxic chemicals, and prevents the invasion on a property by invasive weeds and insect pests. Some examples of sustainable landscaping include xeriscaping, or the planting of drought tolerant plants; planting native species that survive well in an area; toxicity reduction by using natural pest management techniques such as using insecticidal soaps or beneficial nematodes instead of toxic chemicals, and fertilizing with natural products such as compost. For information about sustainable landscaping, contact NC GreenTravel Initiative manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140.


For the week of April 5 on North Carolina Weekend, learn the story of the NC Stage Company in Asheville. Enjoy the great outdoors at Crowders Mountain State Park in Kings Mountain. Get your "Arrrrrgh!" on during PirateFest in Greenville. Relax at The Bask Hotel at Big Rock Landing in Morehead City. And the "House Special" samples the fare at The Speckled Trout Restaurant in Blowing Rock. (Please note listings are subject to change.) North Carolina Weekend is underwritten by Visit North Carolina. In addition, UNC-TV has made recent editions of North Carolina Weekendavailable online.
Room rates (ADR) in North Carolina in 2016 were the highest on record, topping even last year's record high. Each month of 2017 set a record high ADR for that particular month. October's ADR was the highest monthly figure for 2017, topping $111. August and May had the highest growth from 2016 with four percent growth from the previous year. For more North Carolina visitor information, visit Lodging Reports, or contact Tourism Research Director Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748.
Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events

April 11-12 - Visit NC's TRAC, Haywood County (11), Madison County (12)
April 23-25 - STS' Connections, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
April 23-26 - NASC Sports Event Symposium, Minneapolis, Minn.
May 2-3 - BRPA Annual Meeting, Bedford, Va.
May 6-12 - National Travel & Tourism Week (Travel Rally Day May 8), nationwide
May 8 -Visit NC Travel & Tourism Board Meeting, TBD
May 16-17 - MPI-CC Meeting, Wilmington
May 17 - NC Coast Host Quarterly Meeting, Emerald Isle
May 19-23 - U.S. Travel Assn.'s IPW, Denver, Colo.
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