 In this
issue:
• 2015 N.C. Travel Guide now available in print,
online
• Registration now open for 2015 N.C. Governor’s Conference on
Tourism
•
Surveys, Industry, Marketing & Travel Trends
...and more
|
| NewsLink will not be released Dec. 24 and
Dec. 31, but will return Jan. 7. Happy holidays! |
| 2015 N.C. Travel Guide now
available in print, online |  The
Official 2015 North Carolina Travel Guide is
now available. From quaint downtowns and inspired
cuisine to hands-on history and dynamic culture,
the Official 2015 North Carolina Travel
Guide taps the rich experiences to be found
from the mountains to the coast. Travelers can
chart a course from a choice of two covers, one
that captures the picturesque charm of the Roanoke
Marshes Lighthouse in Manteo, the other reflecting
the monumental history of Bentonville Battlefield
at the end of the Civil War. Explore North Carolina
across 172 pages in a presentation of vivid
photographs and tidy blocks of text.
"The Travel Guide embodies what makes North
Carolina a destination to visit again and again,"
said Executive Director Wit Tuttell. "It embraces
the enduring beauty of places like Chimney Rock and
Duke Gardens plus intriguing new attractions such
as the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby. We're also
drawn to discover the Hamlet Depot, the Cradle of
Forestry in America, the Morehead City waterfront
and other gems."
Two sweepstakes offer travelers a chance to leap
from the page to the places on the covers. Visitors
to
VisitNC.com can enter the sweepstakes for a
chance to win accommodations aboard a yacht in
Manteo plus tours and gift cards; or accommodations
in Smithfield plus personal tours, gift cards, and
tickets to the Bentonville Battlefield
reenactment.
The Official 2015 North Carolina Travel
Guide will be available at the state's nine
Welcome Centers; it can also be ordered at
VisitNC.com and (800) 847-4862 (800-VISIT NC). A
digital magazine version, which can be accessed
at VisitNC.com/eguide,
is enhanced by information pop-ups, audio and
video, a table of contents slide show, N.C. Insider
tips and links to VisitNC.com. The magazine
app, available for iOS and Android, uses an
interactive design that accentuates exclusive photo
galleries, a Blue Ridge Parkway map, tap-to-reveal
details and other elements.
Bulk orders of the Travel Guide are
available by emailing your request and delivery
information to Teresa Smith at
the Call Center.
|
| Registration now open for 2015 N.C.
Governor's Conference on Tourism |  | The 2014 opening night's
reception at the
NASCAR Hall of Fame provided a great
chance
for attendees to catch-up |
Registration
is now open, so make plans now to attend the
2015 N.C. Governor's Conference on Tourism -
March 8-10 at Pinehurst Resort in
Pinehurst - to get the latest news on
how industry and traveler preferences have changed,
what's working and how to increase your market
share. Participants come from throughout the
state's resorts, attractions, destination marketing
organizations, lodging facilities, real estate
rental companies, restaurants, and retail
outlets.
There's no better opportunity than the Governor's
Conference to network with more than 500 of the
state's tourism leaders and gain new insights into
North Carolina's travel industry. The conference
program will include signature keynote addresses,
informative educational sessions, an issues forum,
a preview of Visit North Carolina's 2015-16
strategic marketing plan and co-op opportunities,
and valuable interaction with peers and media
partners.
Save money by registering early for the Governor's
Conference with a special $399/person rate, good
until Jan. 28. Save more with an additional
discount of $25 per person for three or more from
the same organization.
To learn more about becoming a conference sponsor,
contact Heidi
Walters at (919) 715-6702.
|
| Representatives in Emerald Isle learn
about Certified Retirement Community program |  Partner
Relations Manager Andre Nabors made a presentation
last week to the Emerald Isle town commissioners on
the criteria and guidelines to apply for the N.C.
Certified Retirement Community Program. Nabors
explained how each town works with Visit North
Carolina to promote the towns as great relocation
destinations for retirees through RetireNC and
consumer trade shows. Nabor said there are about 10
different guidelines to be a part of the RetireNC program,
including a marketing strategy specifically for
retiree attractions, describing how the government
is engaged with community awareness and being
located within 30 miles of a hospital and emergency
medical services.
In order to apply for RetireNC, the town must also
create a "retiree attraction committee," that would
oversee the town's program and fill out the
application. The committee would be in charge of
creating different initiatives to bring retirees to
the area, and possibly host special events and
tours of the area, and act as a communications
liaison for senior citizens interested in the area.
The RetireNC presentation was made to the board at
the request of the newest commissioner, Jim
Normile, who was a part of the town’s economic
development steering committee. He said the program
could be a
part of the town's strategic plan for the
future, which includes drawing more people here
to live full-time, therefore increasing the town's
tax base, stabilizing the town's real property
values and helping restaurants and businesses
throughout the winter months, which is commonly
referred to as the shoulder season.
|
| Winterville joins Certified Retirement
Community program |  | (lf-rt) Winterville Mayor Doug
Jackson, Andre
Nabors, Town Manager Terri Parker, Bob
Bolonde,
Chamber of Commerce Director Debbie
Avery,
Economic Development. Planner Stephen
Penn,
and Councilman Ron Cooper |
Last Thursday, Partner Relations Manager
Andre Nabors presented the Town of Winterville with
its N.C. Certified Retirement Community
certificate, becoming the tenth city designated for
the program. The distinction means that the state
has certified that Winterville has the
infrastructure and amenities sought by retirees. In
addition, the EDPNC/Visit North Carolina will
provide promotional assistance to help encourage
retirees to visit and relocate to those areas.
Winterville met a rigorous set of requirements,
including a comprehensive community survey and an
asset assessment of each community's preparedness
for retiree attraction. Now that the city has been
named a Certified Retirement Community, it will
work with Visit North Carolina to promote
Winterville as a great relocation destination for
retirees through RetireNC and
consumer trade shows, such as the AARP Life@50+ and
Ideal Living Resort & Retirement Expo.
Winterville is the latest town to be designated
into the N.C. Certified Community Program, joining
Asheboro, Eden, Edenton, Lumberton, Marion,
Pittsboro, Mount Airy, Sanford, and Tarboro.
The General Assembly has charged Visit North
Carolina with operating the state's Certified
Retirement Community program (SB 1627), which
recognizes towns that are positioning themselves
for retiree attraction as an economic and community
development strategy. Once a community has
completed the certification process, Visit North
Carolina will help market and promote the community
through Web presence on RetireNC, e-marketing,
social media, public relations, visitor services,
and research among other opportunities. For more
information on the N.C. Certified Retirement
Community program, contact André Nabors at
(919) 447-7771.
|
| Visit North Carolina-hosted media visit
results in U.K. trade publication coast feature |  In
October, Visit North Carolina hosted four tour
operators and a travel trade journalist from the
United Kingdom's leading trade publication,
Travel Trade Gazette (TTG), on a trip to
explore and educate the group on coastal North
Carolina. The operators involved included the
U.K.'s key tour operators across the various
distribution channels. Trade journalist Debbie
Ward's article appeared in the Dec. 10 issue of
TTG and featured the N.C. coast on the cover
of the publication. The print version of TTG
had a circulation of nearly 18,600 with a
readership of almost 56,000; the print piece had a
media value of more than $49,500. The
digital version (article starts on pg. 45) had
approximately 50,000 unique visits, with a media
value of $71,000.
|
| RFP for 2015-16 advertising media partners
deadline Dec. 31 | |
Strategic planning is underway for Visit North
Carolina's 2015-16 fiscal year advertising program,
and a Request For Information (RFI) process has
been initiated by Visit North Carolina's agency of
record, Luquire George Andrews of Charlotte. The
Visit North Carolina team makes cost-effective
advertising investments through a number of media
partners serving regional and national footprints
to help broaden awareness of North Carolina among
travelers in contiguous states, the Eastern
Seaboard and, where possible, broader regional and
national footprints. The Visit North Carolina
marketing program also benefits from exposure
closer to home through public service-oriented
campaigns in partnership with statewide N.C. media
associations. Advertising media companies
interested in receiving the RFI and submitting
information prior to the Dec.
31 deadline should contact Shawn Gordon
regarding print and print/digital combinations, or
Carolyn
Hulbert regarding digital only.
|
| This Christmas will be the most traveled
on record for Americans |  Next
week, Americans will hit the roads and skies to
spend time with family and friends for the
holidays, and AAA
projects this Christmas will be the most traveled
on record. A total of 98.6 million Americans
will travel more than 50 miles away from home this
year-end holiday period, which AAA defines as Dec.
23 to Jan. 4. This is an increase of four
percentage points from last year's 94.8 million
travelers, and this is the sixth straight year AAA
projected a record number of year-end holiday
travel compared to the previous year. AAA first
began tracking holiday travel data in 2001. Most
travelers will reach their destinations by car (91
percent), the same percentage as last year, and
about 6 percent will fly, also the same as last
year. The remaining 3 percent will take a bus,
train or other mode of transportation. Lower gas
prices will help the holiday drive market this
year, as the national average for a gallon of gas
is $2.53, 79 cents less than the price per gallon
on January 1, 2014.
|
| Congress approves Brand USA, president
expected to sign bill | Brand USA has been renewed as the U.S.
Senate followed the House and passed a $1.1
trillion federal government spending bill that
reauthorizes Brand USA through 2020. President
Barack Obama is expected to sign the government
spending legislation, which funds the government
through the end of the next fiscal year, avoiding a
government shutdown and officially reauthorizing
Brand USA in the process.
"The overwhelming majority that passed
reauthorization in the House, coupled with the
unanimous vote that passed it out of the Senate
Commerce Committee, are a ringing bipartisan
endorsement of Brand USA's mission and
effectiveness," said Roger Dow with the U.S. Travel
Association. "The tens of thousands of jobs it
creates, the zero cost to federal taxpayers, the
fact that it helps our trade balance by bringing
huge amounts of foreign currency to the U.S., the
contribution it makes to reducing the deficit by
millions – Brand USA is simply a policy that
works."
In only its third full year of existence, Brand
USA's
economic impact through attracting international
visitors is already enormous. In 2013, the
program drew more than 1.1 million additional
visitors to the United States, generating $3.4
billion in additional visitor spending and $1
billion in federal, local and state tax revenues.
Returning $47 on every $1 spent on promotion, the
program supported nearly 53,000 new U.S. jobs.
|
| Charlotte Knights led minor league
baseball in ticket sales, adding seats for 2015 |  The
Charlotte Knights
led all of minor-league baseball with
attendance of 687,715 fans during 71 home dates
in 2014. Those totals included 31 sellout games.
The Triple-A baseball team, coming off a smash
debut at a new uptown stadium, is adding 235 seats
and making a few other tweaks this winter.
Scoreboard and sound system improvements, as well
as some new kitchen equipment for concession
stands, are also in the works.
|
| Chimney Rock among 'Strangest Places to
See Santa' |  | | (photo courtesy Chimney
Rock) |
Among Yahoo Travel's "Strangest
Places to See Santa," the website included
Santa rappelling down Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock
State Park in Chimney Rock. Of the rappelling
Santa, Yahoo Travel says, "Shimmying down so many
chimneys has made Santa ready for the big time:
rappelling down Chimney Rock, the 315-foot rock
face in this state park about 25 miles from
Asheville. You can watch from below with Mrs. Claus
and the elves, enjoying some hot cocoa and cookies.
Each day, one winning guest will win a free
two-hour rock-climbing lesson with one of the
expert mountain-climbing elves."
|
| Winston-Salem awarded back-to-back
commitment for USA Cycling Masters Road National
Championships | 
Winston-Salem has been selected to
host the 2016 and 2017 USA Cycling Masters Road
National Championships. Collectively, these
championships, slated for late summer of 2016 and
2017 are estimated to produce more than 5,000 hotel
room nights and generate $2.7 million economic
impact for Winston-Salem, according to the
Winston-Salem CVB. The cycling events are
estimated to attract approximately 900 athletes
each and will take place in multiple venues
throughout the area including downtown
Winston-Salem and the Yadkin Valley.
|
| Polar Express expects record-breaking
65,000 riders |  | Guests are served hot
chocolate while chefs
perform the song “Hot Chocolate” (photo
courtesy
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad) |
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in
Bryson City expects
another record-breaking season with its Polar
Express holiday event. GSMRR expects 67,000 Polar
Express riders this year, up from 53,000 last year,
and 30,000 during its debut year in 2004. As of
Monday, riders had purchased more than 66,000
tickets for this year's Polar Express, made famous
by the 2004 Warner Bros. film based on Chris Van
Allsburg's book of the same title. GSMR has hired
100 workers for the Polar Express, including
entertainers, property maintenance and crowd
control workers. Increased ridership also means
more business for Bryson City restaurants, hotels
and retailers. For a second year in a row, one
downtown Bryson City bakery received the contract
to make chocolate chip cookies served to every
rider along with hot cocoa; this year the bakery
expects to make up to 4,000 cookies each day.
|
| Aerial adventure park under construction
next to Tweetsie | |
Families will soon have another reason to visit the
High Country beginning next season: construction is
underway on High Gravity Adventure, a
new aerial adventure park located next to Tweetsie
Railroad, between Blowing Rock and Boone. The
new attraction will have multiple components and
high-adrenaline activities for children and adults.
High Gravity Adventure is scheduled to open next
spring in conjunction with the opening of Tweetsie
Railroad's 2015 season on April 10. High Gravity
Adventure will be comprised of three main
components, the first being a breathtaking
Adventure Course with three levels of challenges
that progress in difficulty; in all, more than 50
different challenges will make up the Adventure
Course. The second component will be a Junior
Course, designed to provide activities for younger
children. The third and most exciting component,
planned as part of Phase 2, is a Zip Line Tour and
Freefall. The Zip Line Tour will take thrill
seekers on a series of aerial journeys through
forests and meadows surrounding Tweetsie Railroad.
|
| N.C. Museum of Art to remake Raleigh
campus |  | | Sculptures outside the N.C.
Museum of Art |
The N.C. Museum of Art has received a $13
million anonymous donation to
jump-start plans to remake its 164-acre campus
in west Raleigh. The multi-phase plan calls for a
new campus entrance and streetscape, more parking,
woodland and meadow restoration, additional bike
and walking trails and infrastructure, improved
sustainability measures, and more outdoor works of
art. The first phase of the plan is scheduled to
begin next spring.
|
| Miss. governor seeks tourism promotion
boost | |
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant wants more people to
know about Mississippi's tourism opportunities. To
spread the word about Mississippi, the Republican
governor has proposed
spending an additional $5.1 million to advertise
the state's tourism amenities. The tourism
proposal was part of Bryant's $6.2 billion budget
recommendation he released last month in advance of
the Legislature convening in January to begin the
task of funding state government for the new fiscal
year, which starts July 1.
|
| Surveys, Industry, Marketing & Travel
Trends | Kids drive trip decisions for multigen
travel – Kids are the big drivers of
decisions on multigenerational trips, which is
still one of the fastest and sustained growing
segments in the travel business, according to a new
study by Preferred Hotel Group.
Kids may shape the decisions on where to go, but
grandparents are the ones who pay for those
trips. And the big winners booking
multigenerational groups turn out to be travel
agents, not travel websites. Forty percent of both
grandparents and parents say their kids "actively
participate in or influence" vacation planning,
specifically with respect to daily activities (77
percent) and deciding which destinations to visit
(62 percent). Almost half (49 percent) of all
multigenerational travelers say their grandchildren
influence the selection of the hotel or resort.
Meanwhile, grandparents, even more so than parents
(35 percent vs. 25 percent), pay for
multigenerational trips to help family members
enjoy a vacation they otherwise could not
afford.
Some hotels let guests borrow items or
leave them – As hotels continue to
add all manner of fees and executives look over
their shoulders at Airbnb and the sharing economy,
they are increasingly telling guests to pack light
and
borrow items from them. While loan programs are
an accepted feature at luxury and full-service
hotels, experts say that those hotels are now
expanding their offerings to include bicycles,
automobiles and running gear. And hotels on a lower
tier, like Candlewood Suites, are starting their
own programs. They are drawing renewed attention
because younger travelers are responding to hotels'
attempts to create a relationship by going out of
their way for guests. In addition to lending books
and DVDs, Candlewood Suites introduced a Lending
Locker in 300 hotels in October 2013. The
floor-to-ceiling enclosure provides items not
typically found in guest rooms including fans,
crockpots, dehumidifiers, and office supplies.
Suppliers to gain more "pricing power"
in biz travel – Globally, air, hotel
and ground transportation prices are expected to be
neutral to slightly higher, according to the
American Express Global Business Travel Forecast
2015. However, given the improving U.S economy,
North American business travelers can expect price
increases across all travel categories next
year. North American hotel rates are also expected
to rise given economic growth, increasing demand
and a lack of new inventory, the report said. The
price increases are predicted across the region but
the degree of increases will vary significantly
from city to city.
Business travelers' top preferences,
requests – A recently conducted
American Express Global Business Travel survey
asked its travel counselors to chime in on
common traveler preferences and requests in
order to gain a better understanding of what people
want when they travel. Among the many observations
included in the report, it was discovered that
business travelers take anywhere from 21 to 30
trips per year on average. Also, fall is the most
active season for business travel, with 61 percent
of travel counselors in agreement. Forty
percent of travel counselors singled out three days
as the most commonly booked trip duration. When it
comes to the accommodation preferences of business
travelers, brand names matter most, with more than
three-fourths (78 percent) of travel counselors
citing brand names as the biggest factor for
business travelers when booking a hotel room. Free
Wi-Fi is a distant second at 13 percent, with free
breakfast accounting for 7 percent of the
response.
Free Wi-Fi and resort fees more common
at hotels – Hotel travelers are
more likely this year to get free Wi-Fi, a free
breakfast and high-definition television than
in the past. That was among the findings of a new
report by the American Hotel & Lodging Assn.
The bad news is that the number of hotels that
charge a resort fee is up to 7 percent, compared
with 3 percent in 2012. In a survey of more than
9,600 hotel owners and managers, the group found
that only 11 percent of hotels said they charge for
Internet service, down from 23 percent in 2013.
Among other findings, more than 80 percent of
hotels have high-definition televisions,
complimentary breakfasts and computers in the lobby
for complimentary use. But some standard hotel
fixtures are slowly disappearing, according to the
survey. Fewer hotels offer newspapers (58 percent),
in-room DVD players (12 percent) and mini bars (7
percent). Jacuzzis are also disappearing, with only
47 percent offering them.
|
 | | NC GreenTravel: Microbreweries have global
draw, local impact | |
North Carolina has become a recognized leader in
the microbrewing revolution within the U.S. Today,
there are more than 120 breweries currently
operating in North Carolina, which is more than any
other state in the Southeast. The state’s
microbreweries have begun to draw visitors from
across the world who come to experience the unique
product and to learn about the production of the
variety of many handcrafted beers. There are
several reasons to support local craft breweries.
First, supporting microbreweries helps stimulate
the local economy and creates jobs. In North
Carolina, the craft breweries and brewpubs generate
more than 10,000 jobs and $791 million in economic
impact. Microbrewers also contribute positively to
surrounding communities through initiatives that
support educational efforts such as alcohol
awareness, recycling programs and other
philanthropic programs. The microbrew industry is
also committed to preserving and protecting the
environment through the use of alternative fuels in
delivery trucks and renewable energy in warehouses.
The industry is also implementing innovations to
significantly reduce the amount of water and energy
needed to produce and package beer. Tourism
businesses can benefit from supporting local
breweries. Sourcing locally makes a major
contribution to the reduction of a facility's
carbon footprint. For more information on craft
breweries in North Carolina, visit the N.C. Craft Brewers
Guild. For information on sustainable tourism,
contact NC
GreenTravel program manager Tom Rhodes at
(919) 707-8140, or Daniel
Johnson with ECU’s
Center for Sustainability at (252) 737-4296.
|
For the week of Dec. 18
on North
Carolina Weekend, lift your
glass during a tour at the Sierra
Nevada Brewery in Mills River. Take in
a production of "Cinderella" by the
Raleigh Little Theater in Raleigh.
Experience New Bern's charm with New
Bern Trolley Tours. Explore wonders at
the Children's Museum of Alamance
County in Graham. And the "House
Special" samples the fare at Ella’s
Seafood Restaurant in Calabash.
(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
Weekend available
online.
|
The average trip spending for overnight
visitors to North Carolina was $517 in
2013. Out-of-state visitors spend
nearly $200 more on average than
in-state travelers ($574 vs. $387). For
more 2013 visitor profile information,
click
here. For more information, contact
Director of Tourism Research Marlise
Taylor at (919) 447-7748.
|
|
| Upcoming Industry Meetings &
Events | Jan. 7-8 - BRPA Regional
Membership & Board Meeting, Dobson
Jan. 9 – N.C. Sports Assn.
Quarterly Meeting, Greensboro
Jan. 9-11 - Ideal Living Resort
& Retirement Expo, Long Island, N.Y.
Jan. 10-13 –
ABA Marketplace, St. Louis, Mo.
Jan. 18-22 –
NTA Travel Exchange, New Orleans, La.
Jan. 22-Feb. 1 – Sundance Film
Festival, Park City, Utah
Jan. 25-26 – NCAF&E Showfest,
Charlotte
Jan. 27 – Visit North Carolina's
New York Media Mission, New York City, N.Y.
Jan. 29-30 – N.C. Coast Host
Meeting, Sunset Beach
Feb. 6-8 – Ideal Living Resort
& Retirement Expo, Greenwich, Conn.
Feb. 10 – N.C. Travel &
Tourism Board Meeting, Cary
Feb. 13-15 – Ideal Living Resort
& Retirement Expo. Rochester, Mich.
Feb. 27-March 1 – Ideal Living
Resort & Retirement Expo, McLean, Va.
|
15000 Weston Parkway
Cary, NC 27513 |
|
Delta Air
Lines has announced it will
end flights from Memphis International Airport to
Raleigh-Durham International Airport, as part
of a broader flight parings strategy at the
airport. There isn't a set date yet for when the
non-stop flight will end.
