| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | February 5, 2020 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE:
* Visit NC 365 offering new Marketing and Research track
* TRAC coming to Polk County region Feb. 27
* 2019 Film production season finished strong in North Carolina * Wilmington among the 'Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker, 2020'
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 | | | A breakout session at a previous Visit NC 365 Conference |
Visit NC 365 offering new Marketing and Research track
This year's Visit NC 365 Conference will feature a new Marketing and Research track. The informative sessions will highlight "Best Uses in ROI Studies" and the "Importance of Good AND Timely Occupancy Tax Data to Strategic Marketing." The Marketing and Research track will offer back-to-back one-hour sessions on Monday afternoon (March 23).
Best Uses in ROI Studies There are many different types and ways to implement a ROI study. Explore Asheville and Visit Elizabeth City will present an overview of their ROI studies and why they are important to the partner research toolbox. The session will also provide attendees with an overview of how Visit NC uses these types of studies in its strategic marketing plans. We'll talk methodology, vendor selection, study results, and follow up. Importance of Good AND Timely Occupancy Tax Data to Strategic Marketing Learn how crucial accurate and timely occupancy tax information is to Visit NC's research program and to local destination trend reports. Hear from Visit NC's Director of Tourism Research Marlise Taylor and Magellan Strategies' Chris Cavanaugh about how tax data is reported and what trends are showing in terms of collections across the state. This session will help you make the most of the data available. Visit NC 365 Conference is in Asheville March 22-24. The registration rate for the conference is $499/person. Click here to register. When you register, don't forget to share in the action with the hashtag #VisitNC365 on Twitter @NCTourism and Facebook @NCarolinaTourism. |
| | A previous TRAC in Goldsboro | |
TRAC coming to Polk County region Feb. 27
On Feb. 27, tourism-related businesses in Columbus and Polk County - plus 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 for 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. TRAC will be held 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Polk Center at Isothermal Community College at 1255 W. Mills St. in Columbus. There is no charge to attend, no reservation is required, and there is no PowerPoint presentation. This is a come-when-you-can/stay-as-long-as-you-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 Visit NC's André Nabors at (919) 447-7771. |
Visit NC PR team's efforts lead to Inn at Rodanthe in the national spotlight Due to the efforts of Visit NC's PR team by working with the writer, the Inn at Rodanthe is included among USA Today's "These hotels will put you on the set of your favorite movies." The N.C.-filmed "Nights in Rodanthe" featured the inn. Of the inclusion, the online gallery noted, "The Inn at Rodanthe, on North Carolina's Hatteras Island, was featured in the 2008 movie based on Nicholas Spark's popular novel of the same name, starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane. The inn has undergone extensive renovations so that it looks as close as possible to the way it did in the film including the vintage floral wallpaper in the kitchen, the infamous blue bedroom where Gere slept, and custom-designed doors."
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Real estate certification class learns about RetireNC
Visit NC's André Nabors shared the NC Certified Retirement Community program (RetireNC), in addition to why retirees are important to communities, during the Real Estate Certification class in High Point on Monday. The class was sponsored by the High Point CVB; participants are represented in the Visitors Center as preferred realtors for those looking for relocation assistance in the High Point area. |
2019 Film production season finished strong in North Carolina
North Carolina wrapped up 2019 with production companies spending more than $167 million in direct in-state expenses, the most money spent on television and film projects in the last five years, according a N.C. Dept. of Commerce release. Combined, the projects created 11,820 job opportunities for North Carolina's highly-skilled film professionals. The year concluded with three more North Carolina Film and Entertainment Grant recipients completing production: "Halloween Kills," "The Georgetown Project" and "The Eyes of Tammy Faye." Together, these three productions had a direct in-state spend of more than $56 million while creating more than 3,200 job opportunities, including nearly 500 well-paying crew positions. |
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Wilmington among the 'Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker, 2020'
Wilmington is among MovieMaker's "Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker, 2020." Wilmington was ranked #9 among Smaller Cities and Towns. Of Wilmington, it was noted the town isn't a newcomer to moviemaking. "'Wilmington has been hosting productions for 36 years, long before there were incentives. We have families with two and three generations actively employed in the industry. We have worked on hundreds of productions ranging from student films up to $200 million films. Filmmaking is part of the fabric of our community. Wilmington is proud of its long association with this industry,' says Johnny Griffin, with the Wilmington Regional Film Commission. And 2019 was no exception. According to the Greater Wilmington Business Journal, the city racked up an estimated $150 million, the most production spending in the city since 2014. Projects ranged from the independent film Uncle Frank to the bigger budget "Halloween Kills" and "The Georgetown Project," starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Russell Crowe, respectively. A generous incentive program supported by the state seems to have played a role in bringing movies to the city along the Cape Fear River. North Carolina offers a 25 percent rebate on qualifying expenses and purchases made by productions while in-state." |
Commercial lodging indicators statewide post record numbers in 2019
North Carolina's commercial lodging industry posted record numbers in each of the six major lodging indicators in 2019, showing positive growth in demand, supply, revenues, average daily room rate (ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR). Recent data released by STR shows that room demand for accommodations, with more than 2 percent growth, hit a record level of more than 37.5 million room nights sold last year. In the last ten years, room demand has grown 46 percent. Nationally, room demand was up 2.1 percent in 2019; in the South Atlantic region, demand increased 1.7 percent. Room demand is defined as the number of rooms sold, excluding complimentary rooms. |
Hotel/motel room revenues in North Carolina room revenues were up 4 percent in 2019 from 2018, topping $4 billion for the first time. Statewide, room revenues have increased nearly 81 percent in the last decade and 35 percent in the last five years. This is due to both an increased number of room nights sold and higher room rates throughout the state. Nationally, room revenues were up 3 percent and up 3 percent in the South Atlantic states in 2019. |
Growth in demand and revenues was largely positive by region across the state. Seven of the eight regions experienced increased demand and each of the regions had increased revenues in 2019. The North Central Region led the state in demand growth with a 4 percent increase, while the Southeast Region led the state in revenue growth with nearly 8 percent. It should be noted that hurricane recovery efforts likely influenced the Southeast's increased revenues in part, particularly in the first half of the year.
In 2018, the U.S. lodging industry had the most ever rooms available (1.94 billion room nights), rooms sold (1.28 billion) and room revenues ($163 billion). Going into 2020, the hotel industry at the national level is expected to see continued, slow demand growth and continue steady supply growth, which will continue to suppress occupancy growth. STR forecasts first quarter 2020 U.S. demand growth between 1.4 and 1.7 percent and supply growth of about 2 percent. To view more trend data for the state lodging industry, visit Partners Page - Research. For more information contact Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748. |
Vote for Dreamville Music, Queen City Blues among Best Emerging Festival
North Carolina has two festivals among the nominations for 10Best's Readers' Choice Awards' Best Emerging Festival. Online voting by readers is now open via USAToday.com; click on the hyperlink to vote. Voting ends March 2at noon. |
'When two Raleigh food stars get married, the charcuterie (and the party) is next-level'
Vogue featured the wedding of Ashley Christensen and Kaitlyn Goalen in "When Two Raleigh Food Stars Get Married, the Charcuterie (and the Party) is Next-Level." Christensen is a James Beard Award-winning chef - including winning Outstanding Chef in 2019 - and Goalen is executive director for their restaurant group, which includes six Raleigh sites. The article spotlighted the couple and the type of celebration they wanted to have, plus included several photos. |
Sustainability with a recycling program
The NC GreenTravel recognition program awards up to 50 points on its green lodging application for waste reduction measures. This includes points for having a soap reuse program, using bulk dispensers for guest amenities and using paperless checkout, but the majority of the points come from having a recycling program in place and recycling various items. Many items are already most likely recycled in the back-of-the-house, such as cardboard and aluminum, but far fewer hotels and lodging facilities have recycling in the front-of-the-house. Typically, there are two separate but related reasons why entities are hesitant to have a front-of-the-house recycling program. The first is because many use front-of-the-house recycling bins like a trash bin, which means staff must sort through the recycling or just throw the recycling in with the trash. The second reason is because management fears having such a program will detract from the visitor experience. Every attraction and accommodations should develop its own recycling program to meet the needs of its guests and staff, but there are some general resources that have been developed that can help a business get started on developing a program. For more information on the NC GreenTravel Initiative or for technical assistance, contact NC GreenTravel program manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707) 8140. |
| | For the week of Feb. 6 on "North Carolina Weekend," explore Leatherwood Mountains Resort in Ferguson. Tempt your sweet tooth at The Candy Factory in Lexington. Learn the history of the French Swiss Ski College at Appalachian Ski Mountain in Blowing Rock. And the "House Special" samples the fare at Sims Country BBQ in Granite Falls. (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. | In 2019, revenues in North Carolina's commercial lodging properties topped $4 billion for the first time. Revenues increased 4.2 percent from 2018 to 2019. For more North Carolina visitor information, visit Lodging Reports, or contact Visit NC's Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748. |
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Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events
Feb. 13 - NC Coast Host Meeting, Morehead City March 8-11 - Travel South Showcase, Baton Rouge, La. April 1-2 - U.S. Travel Assn. Destination Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C |
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