| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | February 21, 2018 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE:
Cozy Cocktail Opening Reception
TRAC in Roxboro/Person County Canadian Media Mission
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Winston-Salem and Twin City Quarter invite you to a cozy cocktail opening reception Sunday at Visit NC 365 It's less than two weeks from Visit NC 365 in Winston-Salem and if you haven't already registered to attend this valuable conference, you should do so now. Join colleagues from across the state on Sunday evening as Visit Winston-Salem and Twin City Quarter warmly invite you to sip, nibble and nosh your way through our casual, cool and ever so sophisticated cocktail party. Give your taste buds their very own Southern Wake-up Call with a sampling of sweet, savory and spicy dishes from some of Winston-Salem's downtown culinary hot spots.
Now is a great time to register for the Visit NC 365 conference, March 4-6 at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem. There's no better opportunity to network with more than 500 of the state's tourism industry leaders and gain insights into North Carolina's growing travel industry. For the Embassy Suites Winston-Salem, book online or call them directly at (336)-724-2300; mention the Visit NC 365 Conference group block for the group rate of $169/night + tax. |
| | | A previous TRAC in Creedmoor |
TRAC coming to Roxboro/Person County region tomorrow
Tomorrow (Thursday), tourism-related businesses in the Person County region - including 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 in reaching travelers, the media and increasing tourism visitation and spending. Visit North Carolina's Tourism Resource Assistance Center (TRAC), a community-based training program designed to help small tourism-related businesses, will be held 10 am - 2 pm at the Kirby Cultural Arts Complex at 213 N. Main St. in Roxboro. The session is being held in partnership with the Person County TDA. There is no charge to attend, no reservation is required, and there are no PowerPoint presentations. This is a come-when-you-can/stay-as-long-as-you'd-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 André Nabors at (919) 447-7771. |
 Partners and Visit NC leads media mission to Canada
Partners and the Visit North Carolina team traveled to Toronto and Montreal last week for the annual Canadian Media Mission. On the agenda were desk side appointments, networking luncheons and cocktail receptions in both cities with a variety of media in attendance including editors, freelancers, bloggers and broadcast producers. Visit NC's Eleanor Talley & Heid Walters led the delegation which included the following partners: Visit Cabarrus, Greater Raleigh CVB, Visit Johnston County, Transylvania County TDA and Wilmington & Beaches CVB. Several travel-trade publications covered the visit, resulting in the articles titled: "More Reasons to Visit North Carolina in 2018" and "North Carolina Celebrates Valentine's Day in Montreal". |
 Three Billboards wins top prizes at BAFTA awards
North Carolina filmed, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri won five trophies at the BAFTA (British Academy of Film & Television Arts). The film was recognized for best film, best British film, best actress (Frances McDormand), supporting actor for Sam Rockwell and best original screenplay for Martin McDonagh. |
 'America's authentic Chinese restaurants'
Gan Shan Station is among USA Today's "America's authentic Chinese restaurants." Visit NC's PR team worked with the writer, having recruited the journalist for the 2017 Beer Marketing & Tourism Conference in Asheville. The online photo gallery included two photos for Gan Shan Station.
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 Southwest adds new nonstop flight from Kansas City to RDU Last week, Southwest Airlines announced a new nonstop route from Kansas City International Airport to Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The Sunday-Friday flight from MCI to RDU is slated to start April 8. |
Making your destination greener There are so many ways that destinations can grow greener. Restaurants, hotels, brew pubs, wineries, attractions and other tourism destinations have been making great progress toward sustainability. Green practices such as recycling, efficient lighting, water conservation and organics recovery have been well established at many destinations. Owners and managers are seeing a great return on investment through conservation efforts in addition to the environmental benefits of being green. In short, it literally pays to be green. Through the implementation of low-cost and no-cost methods, tourism businesses are realizing an increase in profits through cost savings and increased patronage. But, where can you find the tools and information to become more sustainable? The NC GreenTravel Initiative website is a great, free resource for those tools and tips for becoming greener. Not only does the program offer special recognition for green destinations, but it also offers quite a few sustainable travel resources,videos, tutorials and information pages about purchasing, energy, recycling, cleaning and much more. For information about the NC GreenTravel Initiative and how to grow greener, contact Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140. |
| | For the week of Feb. 22 on North Carolina Weekend, enjoy Part 2 of a segment celebrating Beech Mountain's 50th Anniversary. Learn about the Sawtooth School for the Visual Arts in Winston-Salem. Hit the slopes with the French Swiss Ski College at Appalachian Ski Mountain in Blowing Rock. Explore the museum of the Waxhaws in Waxhaw. And relax at the Salt Spa of Asheville in Asheville. (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. | Ninety-four percent of all domestic visitors (and 96 percent of overnighters) came to the Coastal Region for pleasure purposes, while five percent of visitors (3 percent of overnighters, down from 6 percent in 2015) came to conduct business (includes meeting/convention). For more North Carolina visitor information, visit the Visitor Profile Studiesor contact Tourism Research Director Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748. |
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Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events
Feb. 22 - Visit NC's TRAC, Roxboro March 6 - NC Sports Association Quarterly Meeting, Winston-Salem March 15-16 - MPI-CC Meeting, Raleigh March 27 - NC Travel & Tourism Board Meeting, Cary (rescheduled from Feb. 7) April 11-12 - Visit NC's TRAC, Haywood County (11), Madison County (12) April 23-26 - NASC Sports Event Symposium, Minneapolis, Minn. |
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