Weekly e-newsletter for Visit NC partners | August 5, 2020 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE:
* Visit NC webinar next week showcases Count On Me NC, Commerce's Job Retention Grant
* Visit NC PR efforts lead to Hammocks Beach State Park among '7 Best Uncrowded Beach Campsites'
* 2021 N.C. Travel Guide Early Bird discount ends Aug. 31 |
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Visit NC webinar next week showcases Count On Me NC, Commerce's Job Retention Grant For next week's webinar, Visit NC is providing a marketing update on Count On Me NC, which includes sharing new creative and media executions to drive awareness for the safety campaign. We'll also showcase the Partner Toolkit - an arsenal of assets partners can deploy to increase consumer confidence in their communities. To further support our industry and tourism businesses, we've invited David Spratley, senior assistant secretary of finance for the N.C. Department of Commerce, who will share details on the Job Retention Grant program. The JRG program utilizes the Coronavirus Relief Fund to provide economic relief to N.C. businesses and nonprofits that have suffered due to this public health emergency. The webinar will be 10 a.m. on Wednesday. Click here to register. |
Visit NC PR efforts lead to Hammocks Beach State Park among '7 Best Uncrowded Beach Campsites'
Efforts by Visit NC's PR team have led to Hammocks Beach State Park in Swansboro among Outside magazine's "7 Best Uncrowded Beach Campsites." The PR team worked with the writer for the online article. The writer selected Hammocks Beach as Best for Paddlers, explaining "The highlight of Hammocks Beach State Park is Bear Island, a four-mile-long undeveloped barrier island that you can only reach via ferry from the central North Carolina town of Swansboro or by paddling a canoe or kayak about 2.5 miles through the marsh along one of a few designated canoe trails. The island comes with 14 oceanfront campsites scattered between the dunes. Paddle NC rents kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards and leads guided tours of the area's loggerhead turtle nesting grounds." The website reaches more than 1 million unique visitors per month. |
'First Talk' radio audience learns about Outdoor NC |
2021 N.C. Travel Guide Early Bird discount ends Aug. 31
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The Early Bird discount for ad sales within the 2021 Official North Carolina Travel Guide ends Aug. 31. The guide is Visit North Carolina's popular fulfillment piece for visitors to and within the state. The N.C. Travel Guide is available at the state's nine Welcome Centers, Visitor Centers, via the 1-800-VISIT NC Call Center and VisitNC.com, and distributed at targeted travel- and media-related shows; plus, it is also available for distribution by any tourism-related business as an informational piece. New This Year * We're excited to be able to allocate an additional 25 pages to inspiration-based editorial. This allows us to naturally weave even more stays, eats and arts & cu lture-focused destinations into the reader's editorial experience. * With the above paging, we've successfully integrated all 100 counties into our planned editorial. * We're able to offer 10 percent off our regular rate for 1/3 and 1/6 ad units. This will help smaller advertisers with participation. * We're introducing a new formatted ad section "Places to Explore" to offer to smaller destinations and CVBs which will be handled similarly to the "Places to Stay" offering- $1500! * We will be maintaining our state and local information pages for easy reference. Engaged Readers The readers are active vacationers - 63 percent planning to take a three or more trips this year. They are inspired by the guide - 95 percent of readers saying it inspired them to take or plan a trip to North Carolina. And 75 percent save the guide to reference later. Opportunities start at $500. View the 2021 N.C. Travel Guide Media Kit here. For more information, contact Regional Sales Director Stacey Rosseter at (678) 571-7445. |
N.C.-filmed 'Love It or List It' returns to HGTV
Season 16 of the N.C.-filmed "Love It or List It" premieres this Monday on HGTV. The series, which shoots in the greater Triangle area, has filmed in North Carolina since 2014. The production was recruited to the state by the N.C. Film Office and is estimated to spend more than $270,000 per episode. |
Goldsboro-Wayne County featured on 'It's How You Get There'
"It's How You Get There" features Goldsboro-Wayne County on its show this Sunday. The History Channel program's "Going for Goldsboro" episode premieres at 8:30 a.m. Filmed in June, the episode is scheduled to highlight Performance East, Busco Beach, downtown Goldsboro, Goldsboro Brew Works, Goldsboro Fire Department, and Wilber's BBQ. |
Research shows those more willing to travel this fall have school-age children
There is an indication this week that American travelers are settling in with the idea of the virus staying around. According to Destination Analysts' most recent data, the proportion of American travelers who feel the pandemic will get worse in the next month decreased from nearly 62 percent last week to 54 percent this week, while those who feel things will be the same increased from 24 percent last week to 30 percent this week. That being said, concerns about contracting the virus remain high with more than half of American travelers indicating that they do not have any leisure trips planned for the remainder of 2020. Those who will be traveling are more likely to have school-age children. With more children having virtual learning in the fall, more than one-third of parents in this group say they are more likely to take family trips this fall. Beaches, parks and rural areas are the most cited as destinations to be visited. |
Response to the pandemic will have lingering impacts on destination brands. More than half of the respondents in this week's Destination Analysts study say that if a destination they are currently interested in has difficulties managing the virus, they will be less likely to visit even after the pandemic is over.
Visit NC will be providing frequent research updates through Newslink with links to available studies. |
Great American Outdoors Act signed into law Yesterday (Tuesday), President Donald Trump signed into law the Great American Outdoors Act, legislation that will devote nearly $3 billion annually to conservation projects, outdoor recreation and maintenance of national parks and other public lands. The measure was overwhelmingly approved by Congress. The law requires full, mandatory funding of the popular Land and Water Conservation Fund and addresses the maintenance backlog facing America's national parks and public lands. The law would spend about $900 million a year - double current spending - on the conservation fund and another $1.9 billion per year on improvements at national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and range lands. |
Vote for N.C. options for Fall Favorites
North Carolina has two options among the nominations for 10Best's Readers' Choice Awards categories for Fall Favorites. Online voting by readers is now open via USAToday.com; click on the hyperlink to vote. Voting ends Aug. 24 at noon. |
Half-Mile Farm among '15 Best Hotel Getaways in the Great Outdoors'
Condé Nast Traveler included Half-Mile Farm in Highlands among its "15 Best Hotel Getaways in the Great Outdoors." Of the inclusion, the online article noted "Nestled on 14 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Half Mile Farm, the intimate sister hotel of Old Edwards Inn and Spa feels worlds away from civilization. But the galleries, shops, and restaurants of Highlands, North Carolina's Main Street are only a five-minute drive away. Romantic cabins feature stone fireplaces and balconies with lake views. Canoes, paddleboards, and fishing poles are complimentary. If you prefer less effort, head for a soak in the inn's heated mineral pool."
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For the week of Aug. 6 on "North Carolina Weekend," the program repeats the episode that originally aired June 4. Featured segments include Stone Mountain State Park in Roaring Gap, Merchants Millpond State Park in Gatesville, Goose Creek State Park in Washington, Gorges State Park in Sapphire, and Hammocks Beach State Park in Swansboro. It will also spotlight the Count On Me NC initiative. (Check local listings; segments are subject to change.) "North Carolina Weekend" is underwritten by Visit North Carolina. In addition, UNC-TV has recent editions of "North Carolina Weekend" available online. |
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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