Weekly e-newsletter for Visit NC partners, August 18, 2021 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE:
* Visit NC's ‘Recovery Efforts’ wins Mercury Award at ESTO * Visit North Carolina, DMO partners at ESTO * North Carolina designates 2023 ‘Year of the Trail’ |
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Visit NC's ‘Recovery Efforts’ wins Mercury Award at ESTO The U.S. Travel Association honored Visit North Carolina on Tuesday (yesterday) with a Mercury Award for Visit NC’s "Recovery Efforts: Punching Above Their Weight.” Visit NC’s COVID-19 recovery efforts for North Carolina’s tourism industry were deemed proactive, comprehensive and creative. The award was presented at the association's ESTO (Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations) conference in Los Angeles, Calif. Visit NC competed in the finals for best in the Advocacy and Grassroots Campaign against Travel Nevada and Great American West, a cooperative brand for the international marketing efforts of the state tourism offices of Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. “Recovery Efforts: Punching Above Their Weight" involved expanding research initiatives, maintaining and strengthening communications with industry partners – including 33 sessions in Visit NC Webinar series – crafting Count On Me NC, creating #CookItForwardNC, and social media's Drive Thru Vacations. In addition, Visit NC launched Outdoor NC, executed a $5 million marketing credit program, which helped 130 partners, and debuted it new multi-channel brand campaign "Get Back to a Better Place." Plus, Visit NC’s Marketing Grant Program made an additional $1.5 million available to help DMOs experiencing reduced ability to market their destinations due to revenue loss. Visit NC's Wit Tuttell said he was gratified by the recognition of “Recovery Efforts,” several aspects of which were created by Luquire of Charlotte, Visit NC's agency of record. Explore Asheville was also recognized at last night’s event with a Destiny Award for Community Building for its Buncombe County Tourism Jobs Fund. The program’s goal was to “preserve the diverse, vibrant local economy which makes Buncombe County a sought-out travel destination, protect thousands of tourism-related jobs in the county and provide businesses with the resources and strategies to help them reopen safely and ensure their long-term viability.” |
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Visit North Carolina, DMO partners at ESTO Visit North Carolina's Wit Tuttell, Allison Schult and Heidi Walters attended ESTO this week in Los Angeles, Calif. Partners with Explore Asheville CVB, Explore Boone, Fayetteville Area CVB, Greater Raleigh CVB, Jackson County TDA, and Outer Banks VB, along with N.C. Department of Commerce's Wally Wazan, also joined the group. In addition, Schult participated on the two-part panel “Building Bridges through Destination Branding.” In Part 1, “Community Stewardship and Sentiment," Schult and other destination marketers shared how using research and local communications strategies to engage their communities in the branding process. For Part 2, "Connecting Communities to Visitors," the destination marketers discussed connecting local engagement with tourism strategy to create brands that serve locals and visitors alike.
Virtually speaking, Visit NC’s Marlise Taylor was on a panel for the online-only “Recalibrating the Research Co-op.” The webinar examined how innovative states are bringing and new data sets, funded by new federal funding, to empower cities with emerging insights.
Commerce’s Wally Wazan moderated the “Peer Open Forum: Travel Information, Visitor and Welcome Centers.” The session’s purpose was to foster an environment of collaboration for staff from DMOs and state tourism offices. |
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Research shows travelers doing COVID research on destination, are attracted to small, local businesses
In a recent Harris Poll survey, nearly three quarters of Americans report that they are doing their homework about their chosen destination and the number of COVID cases for the destination before traveling. More than half say that if they had a vacation planned to an area with a surge in cases, they would either postpone the trip (29 percent) until it felt safe or cancel the trip (22 percent). Half of Americans feel that travel is safe for those fully vaccinated while 17 percent say it is unsafe for those vaccinated. Harris reports that outbreaks in destinations with low vaccination rates will continue to deter travelers and hurt local economies. While the pandemic continues, small and medium-sized businesses that have survived so far are continuing to fight their way back, reports Harris Poll. The most recent research found that small businesses have learned resilience and are emerging stronger than ever. With thousands of small businesses across the country that rely on tourism and visitors, the connection between visitors and small business is strong. According to a recent Longwoods survey, travelers are attracted to small/local businesses because of unique environments, in order to support small business and to purchase local products. |
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The Longwoods research also shows how visitors seek out small businesses. Online searches, word of mouth and official destination websites are the top information sources for visitors who typically seek out this type of business while on vacation. |
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Visit NC will be providing frequent research updates through Newslink with links to available studies. |
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Cycle NC wraps up successful Mountain Ride More than 300 cyclists took in the beauty of Rutherford and Polk counties during the annual Cycle NC Mountain Ride, Aug. 6-8. This year, the ride was based in Forest City with several routes that also included touring Mill Spring, Rutherfordton, Spindale, Bostic and Union Mills. Cyclists from 12 states, plus D.C., enjoyed the scenic routes, along with a variety of activity options. Visit North Carolina is a founding sponsor of Cycle North Carolina's Mountains-to-Coast, Fall and Spring rides - and this year RetireNC was a sponsor. Cycle North Carolina offers one of the largest cross-state bicycle tours in the United States. The three annual rides are designed to promote North Carolina's scenic beauty while providing substantial economic impact to small towns across the state. |
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Greensboro Aquatic Center adds championship events to schedule The Greensboro Aquatic Center announced last week it will be home to nine more championship events, reported The (Greensboro) News-Record. The events, announced in conjunction with the GAC’s 10th anniversary, are 2021 U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Championships; 2021 Speedo Winter Junior Nationals – East; 2021 Toyota U.S. Open Championship; 2022 and 2023 YMCA Long Course Championship; and 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 YMCA Short Course National Championship. |
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North Carolina designates 2023 ‘Year of the Trail’ The N.C. Senate and N.C. House came together on August 10 to pass HB 554, officially making 2023 the “North Carolina Year of the Trail," reported WCCB in Charlotte. The designation is supported by the North Carolina Great Trails State Coalition, who will be taking charge of plans for the year. North Carolina is not the first state to do this, with Ohio and Indiana declaring a Year of the Trail in 2018 and 2021 respectively, but North Carolina is the first state to announce the designation with extensive plans to showcase, promote, and celebrate trails in all 100 counties. Trails are also the cornerstone of North Carolina’s $28 billion outdoor recreation industry (the 6th largest in the United States) according to a news release. The year 2023 was chosen since it marks the 50th anniversary of the 1973 North Carolina Trails System Act. Not only will the “Year of the Trail” highlight the importance of trails, but it will shine a light on the vital role volunteers play in building and maintaining them, from nature loops to long-distance, statewide trails. |
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Allegiant launching Key West-AVL flight Allegiant Airlines has announced it's launching a flight from Key West, Fla., to Asheville Regional Airport, reported The (Asheville) Citizen-Times. The twice weekly flight, connecting EWY and AVL, is slated to start Nov. 18. |
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Vote for North Carolina distilleries among the Best of Craft Spirits North Carolina has three entities among the nominations for three 10Best's Readers' Choice Awards categories for the Best of Craft Spirits. Online voting by readers is now open via USAToday.com; click on the hyperlink to vote. Voting ends Sept. 13 at noon |
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‘North Carolina Weekend’
For the week of Aug. 19, "North Carolina Weekend" showcases “the Mountains to the Sea.” Segments feature Burke County adventures, basing the story in Morganton; the Western North Carolina Sculpture Center & Park in Lenoir; Sam Jones BBQ in Raleigh; and Bogue Sound Distillery in Newport. (Check local listings for schedule; segments are subject to change.) "North Carolina Weekend" is underwritten by Visit North Carolina. In addition, PBS North Carolina has recent editions of "North Carolina Weekend" available online. |
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Resources for travel industry regarding COVID-19
As the travel industry is facing challenging times in the ever-changing situation of COVID-19 and its effects, there are several useful resources available to help with information, communications, planning and guidance. |
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NewsLink is a publication of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina 150 Fayetteville St., Suite 1200, Raleigh, NC 27601 |
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