| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | July 10, 2019 |
|
| IN THIS ISSUE:
* Marketing campaign for Air Canada's new Montreal-RDU flight sees high-flying response * Visit NC PR efforts lead to Mooresville noted among '12 Small towns that are about to become more popular'
* 2020 N.C. Travel Guide early bird discount ends July 31
* TRAC coming to Gaston County region Aug. 8
|
|
Marketing campaign for Air Canada's new Montreal - RDU flight sees high-flying response
In April, Visit North Carolina partnered with Air Canada and Visit Raleigh on a targeted, three-week digital promotion to drive bookings and increase awareness for the Canada's new Montreal - RDU flight. Media tactics included homepage carousel and landing page on aircanada.com, "Deals of the Week" email to Air Canada subscribers, and Google display network ads, plus paid and organic social media posts. The campaign generated more than 3.6 million impressions, 571 engagements on social media, an increase of 110 percent in directional flight searches, and close to 9,000 landing page visits during the activity period. For more information about Visit NC's international marketing opportunities, contact Visit NC's Heidi Walters at (919) 447-7762. |
Visit NC PR efforts lead to Mooresville among '12 Small towns that are about to become more popular'
Reader's Digest included Mooresville in its "12 Small Towns That Are About to Become More Popular." The inclusion was the result of reactive pitching by Visit NC's PR team. The article noted, in part, "Mooresville sits 30 miles north of Charlotte and is adjacent to beautiful Lake Norman State Park. NASCAR fans will know Mooresville as Race City USA, and there are many activities and museums to explore related to the sport. The area is also ideal for outdoor adventure with kayaking, boating, and hiking. Mooresville was founded in the 1850s as a railroad town and retains its historic charm in the downtown area."
In addition, the article was picked up by MSN.com. |
 | |
2020 N.C. Travel Guide early bird discount ends July 31
The early bird discount for ad sales for the 2020 Official North Carolina Travel Guide ends July 31. Sales representatives from Meredith are meeting face-to-face with industry partners throughout the state to share advertising opportunities for the Travel Guide. The Travel Guide offers engaging editorial and captivating photography in an easy-to-read format. Features will include cross-promotion of additional content, including videos, that will also be available in a digital version of the guide. Opportunities start at $500. As an advertiser, your brand will be intrinsically part of a promotional campaign and distribution across publisher's Meredith's additional properties, including:
* Bonus 50,000 copies delivered to known travelers who subscribe to some of Meredith's popular publications such as Martha Stewart Living, Parents and Family Circle
* National promotion within several Meredith publications reaching almost 21 million subscribers
* North Carolina tourism segments on key local Meredith TV stations
* Enewsletters sent to nearly 1.2 million opt-in subscribers
* Promotion on Meredith websites
Space is limited. Advertising sales are available at an early bird discounted rate untilJuly 31. View the 2020 NC Travel Guide Media Kit here. For more information, contact Regional Sales Director Stacey Rosseter at (678) 571-7445. |
| | A previous TRAC in Ocracoke | |
TRAC coming to Gaston County region Aug. 8
On Aug. 8, tourism-related businesses in Belmont and Gaston 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 in 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 Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, 6500 S. New Hope Rd. in Belmont. 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. |
| |
Study: Airbnb rentals surge in North Carolina - but not where most would expect
Rentals through Airbnb are surging in North Carolina, but not in the state's urban centers of Charlotte and Raleigh, according to a new report from Airbnb. It's happening in the state's isolated, more off-beat areas. Per to the report by the home-sharing service, during the past year, people living in rural North Carolina counties made more than $76 million and hosted 436,000 people through Airbnb. That's a 74 percent growth rate, which is much higher than that of the state's urban and suburban counties. Tourists seemingly want to get off the grid. But that can be difficult when traditional rentals, like hotels, are limited in some rural counties. In western North Carolina's Yancey County, which has no hotels according to Hotels.com, 9,300 guests stayed in Airbnbs in the past year. Yancey ranked 19th among the state's rural counties in terms of income earned through Airbnbs. The study reports the top-ranked rural county was Dare, which includes part of the Outer Banks, where Airbnb hosts took in $13.9 million during the past year. Next were Watauga and Brunswick counties, earning $6.1 million and $6 million, respectively. For this report, Airbnb compiled data for the 80 North Carolina counties officially designated as "rural" by the NC Rural Center - not including the 20 counties designated as either "urban" or "suburban." |
The Swag, Fearrington House, Old Edwards, Asheville and Outer Banks among World's Best for 2019
Travel + Leisure has announced the winners of its World's Best Awards 2019 and several N.C. sites and destinations are recognized. Among the Top 10 Resort Hotels in the South, The Swag Resort in Waynesville was ranked #3, Fearrington House Inn in Pittsboro #7, and Old Edwards Inn & Spa in Highlands at #10. Asheville ranked #8 among the Top 15 Cities in the U.S. The Outer Banks was #9 among the Top 10 Islands in the Continental U.S. The annual poll is a result of T+L readers casting their votes for the hotels, destinations and companies that define the very best in travel. |
Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium pens 5-year deal for international soccer matches
Yesterday (Tuesday), the Carolina Panthers organization said it signed a deal with Relevant Sports Group, which runs the International Champions Cup tournament, bringing elite European soccer to Charlotte for the next five years. The announcement comes 11 days before Bank of America Stadium hosts a match between England's Arsenal FC and Italy's AFC Fiorentina. The agreement marks Relevant's first extended contract with any host city. Venue selection is a very competitive process with multiple cities vying to host the games and reap their economic benefits. The last time Charlotte hosted the ICC, it generated an economic impact of $20 million and more than half of attendees came from out of town, according to the CRVA's Tom Murray. Relevant also announced Charlotte will hold the 2019 House of Soccer on July 19 and 20, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of soccer enthusiasts. |
'Man v. Food' visits Wilmington, Charlotte
This week, the Cooking Channel's "Man v. Food" visited Wilmington "for a barbecue bonanza, a totally bonkers burrito and a big, bad behemoth in the undefeated Pierogi Team Challenge." Later this month, the program visits Charlottefor "three takes on Southern specialties. There's a cheesy chicken classic care of Korea, a time-honored institution's signature sandwich and the biggest walking taco in all the Carolinas." |
Going green makes dollars and sense
Developing an environmental sustainability program for an attraction, hotel, restaurant or other destination business doesn't mean shelling out big bucks for consulting and technical assistance. The NC GreenTravel Initiative is a great source for information about how to go green and save green. Not only does the program provide online resources for learning how to develop a sustainable tourism destination, but it works in partnership with consultants and experts that can provide free technical advice to help a business become more environmentally sound and to save money. It is a proven fact that many businesses are finding that making their operations greener is helping them to keep more green at their bottom line. Even no-cost or low-cost tweaks to reduce the carbon footprint can yield significant savings. One such case involved a hotel reviewing their waste-hauling invoices and comparing the services for which they were billed to the actual services they received. As it turns out, by checking their invoices and counting the number of dumpsters onsite, hotel management realized that the property had been charged for two dumpsters for several years when, actually, there was only one waste dumpster there. They received quite a reimbursement from the waste-hauler and reduced future hauling costs - and all it cost was a little time. During the coming weeks, NC GreenTravel will be sharing several ways to bring costs down by going green, so stay tuned to Visit NC's NewsLink. For more information about the NC GreenTravel Initiative and the services provided, contact Program Manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140. |
| | For the week of July 11 on "North Carolina Weekend," discover the Folk Art Scene in Chatham County. And enjoy adventures and tastings in Burke County. (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 2018, 95 percent of all domestic overnight visitors to the Mountain Region came for pleasure purposes, while 4 percent of all visitors (4 percent of overnight visitors) came to conduct business (includes meeting/convention). For more North Carolina visitor information, visit Visitor Profile Studies, or contact Visit NC's Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748. |
|
Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events
July 18 - MPI-CC Meeting, North Charleston, S.C. July 20-22 - AENC Annual Meeting, Charlotte Aug. 6 - BRNHA Gather 'Round the Blue Ridge, Asheville Aug. 8 - Visit NC TRAC, Belmont Aug. 13 - NC Travel & Tourism Board Meeting, Raleigh Aug. 17-20 - US Travel Assn's ESTO, Austin, Texas Aug. 26-28 - Connect Sports Conference, Louisville, Ky. Sept. 19-22 - NCMA (with VMA-MCASC) Regional Meeting, Winston-Salem |
|
|
|
|
