| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | July 18, 2018 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE: * July 25 is deadline for listing updates, additions
in 2019 N.C. Travel Guide
* TRAC coming to Reidsville/Rockingham County region Aug. 9
* Partners.VisitNC.com a valuable resource
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July 25 is deadline for listing updates, additions in 2019 N.C. Travel Guide Information on attractions and accommodations to be listed in the 2019 Official North Carolina Travel Guide must be submitted by next Wednesday, July 25. It is imperative that all listings be reviewed to ensure maximum accuracy. Accommodations - hotels/motels, bed & breakfast/inns, park/private campgrounds and vacation rentals managed by a company/agency - receive a free, basic listing. Don't forget to review the amenities as select ones are noted by icons in the guide listings. Select Attractions receive free listings, too. To verify your free listing, simply view your page on VisitNC.com. If your listing needs to be updated, contact your local county contact. The Visit NC database fuels the information for VisitNC.com and also for the information for the listings in the Official North Carolina Travel Guide. To help ensure accuracy for both industry partners and visitors, all data listings in the VisitNC.com database are entered by local contacts within each of the state's 100 counties. If a destination, lodging, attraction or event is not currently listed or needs to be updated on the website, click here to find the correct contact, or find the information via the "Get Listed" link available at the footer of each VisitNC.com page, which will lead to the appropriate CVB, TDA or chamber representative in each county. It's searchable by town or county. If you have any questions regarding the 2019 Official North Carolina Travel Guide or a VisitNC.com listing, contact Visit NC's Kathy Prickett at (919) 447-7769. Advertising sales are available at an early bird discounted rate untilJuly 31. View the 2019 NC Travel Guide Media Kit here. For more information, contact Regional Sales Director Stacey Rosseter at (678) 571-7445 |
| | | A previous TRAC in Dobson |
TRAC coming to Reidsville/Rockingham County region Aug. 9 On Aug. 9, tourism-related businesses in Reidsville and Rockingham 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 am - 2 pm in Reidsville; stay tuned to future NewsLinks for the specific location. 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'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.VisitNC.com a valuable resource Visit NC's "industry-facing" website, Partners.VisitNC.com, is a valuable resource for industry partners and stakeholders to obtain information related to the Visit NC strategic marketing plan, partner program opportunities, research and other industry updates. For instance, when the county-by-county economic impact numbers are available next month, they'll be located under the Research section. Site features include Visit NC's strategic marketing plan and information formerly found on nccommerce.com/tourism, as well as an opportunity for partners to sign up for NewsLink and view archived editions. To view the site and updated information, visit Partners.VisitNC.com. Partners, please bookmark Partners.VisitNC.com. It is now the only "industry-related" website for Visit NC and its partners. It replaced nccommerce.com/tourism, which is no longer maintained nor updated. |
Patterson new director for N.C. State Parks Dwayne Patterson is the new director for N.C. State Parks. He may be contacted at (919) 807-7278 or via dwayne.patterson@ncdcr.gov. View the announcement here. |
Raleigh Road Drive-In on USAToday.com
As part of its "50 States" series, and for National Drive-In Movie Day, USAToday.com included Raleigh Road Drive-In in Henderson as the North Carolina designation for "Drive-in movie theaters in (almost) every state." Of the selection, the photo gallery noted, "The Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre for the drive-in in Henderson, North Carolina, is the state's oldest drive-in, showing movies since July 15, 1949." |
Surveys, Industry, Marketing & Travel Trends At some hotels and spas, cancer is no obstacle to quality - Several hundred properties around the world increasingly [are] catering to clients with cancer, according to The New York Times. The biggest change is in hotel spas where therapists are getting training in the needs and restrictions of cancer-afflicted guests when it comes to massages, facials and manicures. Dietary modifications can be necessary, too. Some properties have also tasked nutritionists to work with their kitchen staff so that they can cater meals and diets to clients with specific needs. The owner of one California inn and spa said that a nutritionist has worked with its kitchen staff on how to make accommodations for a variety of dietary restrictions, including those associated with cancer. "We have our share of guests with cancer and want them to be able to come here and eat well," she said. "It's something we are very sensitive to." One hotel chef said that he enjoys coming up with creative dishes for these diners. "It's not just about giving them the food that they need," he said. "The dishes should taste and look good.... Our guests with cancer should feel normal, just like anyone else."
Marriott follows Starbucks in dropping plastic straws - The days of plastic straws are drawing shorter. Marriott International on Wednesday (today) became the latest big company to announce it will stop using plastic straws and plastic stirrers, saying it would remove them from its more than 6,500 properties by next July. It said the environmentally friendly move could eliminate the use of more than 1 billion plastic straws and about 250 million stirrers per year. Marriott said its hotels will "offer alternative straws upon request." As an alternative to plastic straws, Starbucks has said it developed a strawless lid. And this week, Starbucks and McDonald's said they're working together to develop a recyclable or compostable cup.Can't see the menu? D.C. restaurant offers stylish reading glasses - The elements that go into creating a hotel restaurant's ambiance - lighting, decor, music, etc. - can be just as important to the guest experience as the food served, notes HotelBusiness.com. At The Hay-Adams' The Lafayette, in Washington, D.C., there's a new reading glasses amenity to assist patrons who may have forgotten their own spectacles. Peepers come in a variety of strengths as well as various shapes and colors to fit a guest's personality. "We started buying them at CVS and providing generic black frame reading glasses, and they were popular and people appreciated the gesture. But, we're not the plain black reading kind of place, so we wanted to give it a bit of flair," explained the hotel manager. "We can... provide fun and funky glasses along with plain horn-rimmed for guests with a more conservative side. It's a fun conversation point and something staff can use to engage guests." While the Peepers are practical, the manager noted that they add a level of enjoyment and help to create a memorable experience. "There's interaction between guests, and sometimes they're poking fun at the person picking the glasses. We consider it a service. If people take them and remember The Hay-Adams then that's OK. We made somebody happy." Chicago hotel gives meetings a boost - The Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park has designed multiple upgrades to take any meeting from ordinary to extraordinary, reports HotelBusiness.com. It curates event boosters to fit the personality of the group. The hotel team sought to put the fun back into meetings, no matter how short the meeting, to add activities in small doses so that any planner could boost the event experience. Event boosters are a way to dabble intoalternative ways of keeping attendees engaged and enhance the guest experience. The event boosters were designed to be cost effective, available on short notice, in close proximity to save money on transportation, and able to be scaled up or down, ranging from 20-300 attendees or more. Event boosters include a self-defense express tutorial, improving workplace communications through improv skills or even "rock climbing" to a rooftop reception. |
Plug-in NC: Encouraging driving electric
A great way to draw new visitors to a destination is to install electric vehicle chargers at a hotel, attraction, restaurant, shop, or visitors center facility. North Carolina is viewed as a national leader for electric vehicle adoption. The state has more than 7,500 electric vehicles registered and there are more than 1,000 charging stations installed in North Carolina. Now these locations have the opportunity to be recognized for their efforts by joining Plug-in NC. This program, started by the N.C. Plug-in Electric Vehicle (NC PEV) Taskforce, seeks to recognize locations that have installed electric vehicle charging stations or have purchased electric fleet vehicles. By joining the free program, the business can be recognized on the NC PEV Taskforce's website, newsletter and social media. There are also opportunities to connect with other electric vehicle supporters across the state to share lessons learned and best practices. For more information about plug-in electric vehicles, and to apply for recognition, visit Plug-in NC or contact NC GreenTravel Initiative manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140. |
| | For the week of July 19 on North Carolina Weekend, go paddling in Washington and Beaufort County. Grab your best canine friend and discover Barley Labs in Durham. See what's in season at Roots & Fruits Market in Black Mountain. Learn where the buffalo roam at Sunset Ridge Buffalo Farm in Roxboro. And explore Mountain Brook Lodge & Cottages in Sylva.(Check local listings; segments 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. | The average length of stay for all North Carolina visitors decreased 7 percent from 2016 to 2017, the decrease coming from in-state resident visitors (down from 3.2 nights in 2016). Out-of-state visitors' length of stay in 2017 was the same as in 2016 (3.9 nights). For more North Carolina visitor information, visit the Visitor Profile Studies, or contact Tourism Research Director Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748. |
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Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events
July 19-20 - MPI-CC Meeting, Winston-Salem July 21-23 - AENC Annual Meeting, Greenville July 27 - Piedmont Triad DMO Meeting, High Point Aug. 7 - Visit NC Travel & Tourism Board Meeting, Charlotte Aug. 8-12 - NCMA-VMA-MCASC Regional Meeting, Greenville, S.C. Aug. 9 - Visit NC TRAC, Reidsville Aug. 11-14 - US Travel Assn's ESTO, Phoenix, Ariz. Aug. 16 - NC Coast Host Meeting, Greenville Aug. 27-28 - N.C. Restaurant & Lodging Expo, Charlotte Sept. 20-21 - MPI-CC XChange, Charlotte |
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