The schedule for this year's Visit NC Tourism Conference
is packed with exciting speakers and informative sessions. On Tuesday morning, keynote speaker and travel enthusiast Samantha Brown offers “The Emotional Value of Travel.” Following the annual Visit NC Winners Circle Awards Luncheon, there are back-to-back concurrent sessions exploring industry-interest topics, including Making Travel More Accessible; What is the Next Generation of Destination Websites; The Future of Public Relations Management; Short-Form Video; Email Marketing Strategy; Research and 2023 Year of the Trail.
Registration is open for the Visit NC Tourism Conference, at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, March 6-8. Click here to register to attend the conference. The agenda, as well as other information such as sponsorship opportunities, can be found here. In addition, the room block at the Omni Grove Park Inn closes today (Wednesday); click
here for onsite hotel reservations.
Visit NC webinar tomorrow looks at ‘What's new, besides the name, for the upcoming Visit NC Tourism Conference’
For its monthly webinar tomorrow, the Visit NC team will be discussing the upcoming Visit NC Tourism Conference, including what's new, what isn’t to be missed, and additional insights into some of the exciting professional development and learning opportunities. The webinar will be at 10 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday). Click here to register.
A previous TRAC in Reidsville
Visit NC’s TRAC coming to Lumberton, bringing new hours Tourism-related businesses in Robeson County – plus the surrounding counties – will have an opportunity to work with Visit NC 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 NC's Tourism Resource Assistance Center (TRAC) is a community-based training program designed to help small tourism-related businesses. TRAC will be held on Feb. 23, New to this unique event are different hours: 3 - 7 p.m., offering a chance for more tourism-related businesses to be able to attend due to their own normal business hours. Stay tuned to NewsLink for location information. 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 Business Services, 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 Naborsat (919) 447-7771.
Visit NC PR efforts lead to Edenton among '20 Most Beautiful Small Towns in the U.S.'
Due to the efforts of Visit NC’s PR team, Travel + Leisure included Edenton in its “20 Most Beautiful Small Towns in the U.S
.” When the PR team was contacted by the writer, they offered several unique suggestions, and the writer selected Edenton. The online article noted, in part, “Where to begin? Perhaps the postcard-perfect 1886 Roanoke River Lighthouse? The Georgian architecture of the 1767 courthouse? Tree-lined streets and gardens throughout town? Harbor views with moss-draped bald cypress trees? Colonial-era Edenton is as steeped in history as it is stunning.” Travelandleisure.com attracts 10.6 million unique monthly visits.
Three N.C. towns among ‘Best Beach Towns in the U.S.’
Nags Head, Emerald Isle and Sunset Beach are featured in TripSavvy.com’s “18 Best Beach Towns in the U.S.” The writer chose responses that the Visit NC PR team provided regarding an inquiry distributed by the HARO media lead platform. The online roundup highlighted the wonders of Bird Island and the Kindred Spirit Mailbox in the Sunset Beach description. Selling points for Emerald Isle included beachcombing and the Bogue Inlet Fishing Pier, while Jockey's Ridge State Park and fishing helped make the case for Nags Head. Each writeup comes with recommendations for dining. California is the only other state with three beaches on the list. TripSavvy.com boasts 4 million subscribers.
Visit North Carolina promotes group travel to N.C. at ABA Marketplace Visit NC's Amanda Baker attended the 2023 American Bus Association (ABA) Meeting & Marketplace, one of the premier industry events for group travel, this week in Detroit, Mich. Visit NC took more than 20 appointments with motorcoach and tour operators during the event, promoting group travel throughout the state. These qualified leads will be available in the coming weeks. For more information on Visit NC's group travel program, such as ways to attract this market to your destination, contact Amanda Baker at (919) 447-7765.
D.C. Travel & Adventure Show sees strong interest in N.C.
This past weekend, Visit NC attended the Travel & Adventure Show in Washington, D.C., partnering with the Boone TDA, Crystal Coast TDA, Greenville-Pitt County CVB, Johnston County VB, Onslow County TDA, Winston Salem CVB, and the N.C. Zoo. The booth had solid traffic throughout the consumer travel show, which saw an attendance of more than 16,000. Visit NC will be developing a schedule for 2024 Travel & Adventure Shows in the coming months. These shows offer additional opportunities for Visit NC – and its interested partners – to promote travel to North Carolina to potential visitors who are actively looking for travel suggestions and information. There are still two spots available for any partner interested in participating in the Travel & Adventure Show in Atlanta, March 25-26. In addition, partners interested in participating in any of the 2024 shows should contact André Nabors at (919) 447-7771.
Research reports planning window approximately 12 weeks for most domestic travel
Recent research from Destination Analysts reports that the planning window for domestic leisure travel is approximately 12 weeks, with nearly 40 percent of travelers planning more than 12 weeks in advance.
Top inspiration sources for trip planning include websites, Facebook, online content, review websites and streaming video services. Gen Z is primarily using TikTok and Instagram, and rely on digital influencers more than other generations. Streaming services most used by American travelers include Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and Hulu.
Visit NC will be providing frequent research updates through Newslink with links to available studies.
‘North Carolina Weekend’
For the week of Feb. 9, "North Carolina Weekend” spotlights “A Romantic Weekend.” Featured segments include Mayland Earth to Sky Park and Observatory near Burnsville; the beach in winter, basing the story in Sunset Beach; Black Mountain Chocolate Bar in Winston-Salem; Leatherwood Mountains Resort in Ferguson; and Marked Tree Vineyard in Flat Rock. (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.
Visit North Carolina is part of Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina
150 Fayetteville St. Suite 1200 Raleigh, North Carolina, 27601, United States
