Weekly e-newsletter for Visit NC partners, February 10, 2021 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE: * Visit NC webinar next week spotlights Outdoor NC, ways for partners to get involved * Visit NC’s PR team pitch lands Cave Halotherapy & Spa among '10 Black-owned Spas to Bliss Out In’ * Changemakers virtual PR media panel leads to spotlight on Historic Magnolia House |
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Visit NC’s PR team pitch lands Cave Halotherapy & Spa among '10 Black-owned Spas to Bliss Out In’ Due to the efforts of the PR team, the Cave Halotherapy & Spa in Hope Mills is featured in a TripAdvisor.com roundup titled "10 Black-owned Spas to Bliss Out In." The placement resulted from the PR team’s work with the writer as she developed her list and information provided by the Fayetteville Area CVB. Of the inclusion, the article explained, “Halotherapy (salt therapy) is purported to offer several health benefits, from boosting your immunity to improving circulation. At this Hope Mills, North Carolina spa you can take your pick from a variety of salt treatments, including exfoliating scrubs; 45-minute sessions in a salt cave; and relaxing Epsom salts soaks.” TripAdvisor.com garners more than 22.1 million unique monthly visitors. |
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Visit NC’s ‘Changemakers’ virtual PR media panel leads to spotlight on Historic Magnolia House Last month, Visit NC’s PR team hosted a virtual media panel celebrating five changemakers doing incredible work related to travel in North Carolina. One of the media attendees was an editor with TripAdvisor, who was especially intrigued by Natalie Pass-Miller, one of the panelists, who owns the Historic Magnolia House in Greenboro. The result is the article on TripAdvisor.com, “The House That History Built: Natalie Pass-Miller Breathes New Life Into a Historic Treasure.” In the article, past, present and future combine to generate excitement in the work being done to pull history forward in an extraordinary place with extraordinary people making it happen. |
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Heights House, High Hampton among ‘The World's Best Hotel Openings in 2021’ The Heights House in Raleigh was among “The World’s Best Hotel Openings in 2021: So Much to Look Forward To!,” produced by Fathom to showcase primarily independent properties that are opening in 2021. For Heights House Hotel, the article noted “Why We’re Excited” and the “Feel-Good Factor.” Plus, the article also included more properties from hotel companies with established track records and well-earned reputations. That section included High Hampton in Cashiers. Visit NC’s PR team worked with the editorial team at the publication, whose FathomAway.com garners about 13,000 unique monthly visitors. |
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Research shows optimism regarding pandemic situation outweighing pessimism for the first time since pandemic began For the first time since the pandemic began, optimism about the situation and its effect on the United States outweighs the pessimism. This week, according to Destination Analysts, nearly 40 percent of American travelers feel the situation will get better in the next month, while more than a quarter (27 percent) feel it will get worse – a record low since tracking began last March. While concern about the nation’s economy is still high, personal health concerns dropped slightly this week. |
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When looking into the mental wellness of American travelers during the pandemic, researchers have found that daily stress levels are at a 5.6 on a 10-point scale. Lifestyle priorities in response to the stress include staying safe from infection, finding joy and happiness, emotional well-being and relaxation. Connecting with nature (46 percent) and having new experiences (44 percent) also rated high on the list of priorities. Americans report a high level of “cabin fever,” says Destination Analysts, with more than 53 percent of them saying that more than half of the time they have felt restlessness from living in isolation for so long. These feelings of being burned-out and having cabin fever likely feed into the excitement to travel now and the openness to travel inspiration, both of which increased this week from last week. |
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The good news, if there is any, is that the outlook for later in 2021 is more positive, due in part to the vaccine process being moved ahead. With vaccines imminent, while the percentage of Americans who say they will not travel increased this week to 62 percent from 53 percent last week, 51 percent of Americans say that vaccine developments make them more optimistic that they will be able to travel safely in the next six months.
Visit NC will be providing frequent research updates through Newslink with links to available studies. |
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N.C. has many hotels among 'Best in the USA' U.S. News & World Report has released its Best Hotels in the USA for 2021, which includes numerous categories. Within the top 500 of the Best Hotels in the USA, The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary ranked #114, Old Edwards Inn and Spa in Highlands #207,Fearrington House Inn in Pittsboro #227, The Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte #276, Grand Bohemian Hotel in Asheville #331, Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville #375, O. Henry Hotel in Greensboro #384, The Ballantyne in Charlotte #411, The Kimpton Cardinal in Winston-Salem #448, The Ivey's Hotel in Charlotte #460, and Inn on Biltmore Estate in Asheville #485. The Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville #140, The Ballantyne in Charlotte #155, and Inn on Biltmore Estate #176 are among the top 200 of the Best Resorts. The following N.C. sites are among the top 100 in each of the stated categories.The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, Old Edwards Inn and Spa in Highlands, and The Fearrington House Inn in Pittsboro among the Best Boutique Hotels. Fearrington House, O. Henry Hotel in Greensboro, Duke Mansion in Charlotte, and Graylyn Estate in Winston-Salem are among the Best Hotels with Free Breakfast. Old Edwards, The Ballantyne, Grandover Resort in Greensboro, Pinehurst Resort's Carolina Hotel in Pinehurst, and The Omni Grove Park Inn are among the Best Golf Hotels. The Umstead, Ritz-Carlton and Omni Grove Park are among the Best Spa Hotels. The Umstead, Old Edwards, Fearrington House, O. Henry, and The Ballantyne are among the Best Hotels with Free Parking. The Umstead, Fearrington House and O. Henry are among the Best Hotels with Airport Shuttle Service. And The Umstead is among the Best Pet-Friendly Hotels, Best Wedding Hotels, Best Business Hotels, Best Lake Hotels and Best Fitness Hotels. |
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Foggy Pine Books gets special commercial from Stephen Colbert “A Late Show with Stephen Colbert” had a special post-Super Bowl episode this past Sunday. In a segment about the ads for the game, Colbert explained how it’s small businesses who really need the advertising, but they can’t afford to create, produce and purchase a spot. So ‘A Late Show’ selected a small business and created an ad for it to run during “A Late Show with Stephen Colbert. ” The show selected Foggy Pines Books in Boone. In addition to footage of the bookstore and of Boone itself, the commercial had a voice-over by Sam Elliott and an appearance by Tom Hanks. Watch it here, starting approximately 1:20 for the full segment or 2:08 for the ad. The commercial was a well-kept secret and even the bookstore’s owner was surprised. “A Late Show” had contacted her to ensure she watched the Sunday night episode and there was even a camera set up to tape her reaction. The story included a report from the owner that she had been concerned about keeping her business open. Due to the ad, she will likely have to hire additional staff to help process all the orders that have come in. That segment aired on Monday night’s episode of “A Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Watch the full segment here, starting at approximately 1:31. |
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‘North Carolina Weekend’
For the week of Feb. 11, "North Carolina Weekend" features segments on JuneBug Retro Resort in Weaverville; Leatherwood Mountains in Ferbuson, Art and Afternoon Tea at The Umstead Hotel in Cary; The Jarvis at 220 in New Bern; and The Hackney in Washington. (Check local listings for schedule; segments are subject to change.) "North Carolina Weekend" is underwritten by Visit North Carolina. In addition, PBS North Carolina (formerly UNC-TV) 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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