Weekly e-newsletter for Visit NC partners, July 20, 2022 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE:
* Visit NC PR media successes * N.C.-filmed ‘Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks’ returns to National Geographic |
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Visit NC PR team’s pitch yields coverage for Grandfather Mountain SouthernLiving.com highlighted Grandfather Mountain and its newly opened Wilson Center for Nature Discovery in its roundup “20 Affordable Family Vacations You Haven't Thought Of Before” as a result of the Visit NC PR team’s outreach. As part of its monthly headline pitches for July, the PR team included the attraction among places well-suited to summer learning; Linville was selected as a featured destination. “Grandfather Mountain is calling and the whole fam must go to brave America's highest suspension footbridge atop Linville Peak,” the article noted. “But that's not the only treasure this UNESCO biosphere reserve holds. The new Wilson Center doubles the size and modernizes the exhibits of the old nature center. Massive wildlife enclosures let you safely observe bears, elk, eagles, otters, and cougars, which sadly are so endangered that they no longer roam these alps, in their natural habitat.” In addition to Grandfather Mountain, the online article included the Linn Cove Viaduct visitor center on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Linville Caverns and the Linville Gorge Wilderness. SouthernLiving.com garners more than 5.6 million unique monthly visitors. |
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Visit NC’s in-state media mission leads to ‘My 15 Favorite Experiences In Beautiful Wilkesboro’ Wilkesboro and its neighbors are featured on TravelAwaits.com in a post headlined “My 15 Favorite Experiences In Beautiful Wilkesboro, North Carolina,” thanks to a relationship established at the Visit NC PR team’s In-state Media Mission in Raleigh last fall. Gathering at the Heights House Hotel, PR practitioners met with 37 media representatives, and conversation led to an invitation to the writer to explore Wilkes. “The Yadkin Valley in Western North Carolina’s High Country is home to a sparkling jewel of a town,” the article begins. “Wilkesboro, with an estimated population of less than 4,000, wowed my husband and me with its combination of stunning surroundings, fascinating history, robust music and art scene, and some of the friendliest, most talented people we’ve ever met.” The experiences highlighted include stops on the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area’s Crafts Trails and other attractions, plus dining and places to stay. TravelAwaits.com garners more than 4.8 million unique monthly visitors. |
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PR team scores Shondaland.com placement for Kinston’s The O’Neil The O’Neil hotel in Kinston is featured at Shondaland.com, the editorial website of TV writer-producer Shonda Rimes, in the article “Over the Top: New Life for Forgotten Hotel Spaces.” The coverage resulted from the Visit NC PR team’s response to the writer’s outreach for properties that have recast underused spaces as functional areas. Of The O’Neil, the article notes the downtown building’s original use as a bank whose 16-ton strongroom off the lobby “is now stocked with complimentary refreshments for guests, while a smaller second vault serves as a family-friendly guest room with a set of bunk beds.” Shondaland.com garners more than 421,000 unique monthly visitors. |
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Efforts by Visit NC PR team lead to retro motel spotlight on Raleigh’s Longleaf Hotel Thanks to the efforts of Visit NC’s PR team, the Longleaf Hotel in Raleigh is included in “Be Their Guest” in the July-August issue of Morgan Stanley’s Mosaic magazine. With North Carolina’s wealth of stylishly restored motor lodges, the PR team pitched the retro motel concept for the magazine’s design-themed issue, and the writer opted to feature the Longleaf as one of the examples from across the country. “Mix history with hospitality at the new crop of retro motels that take their pedigree as seriously as the pillows,” the article’s intro says. The piece describes the Longleaf as a 1960s travel lodge that “was given a spiffy new remodel in 2019. (One of the Longleaf’s designers used his grandfather’s den from the ʼ60s as a design lodestar.) The owners uncovered many of the hotel’s distinctive mid-century details like the ‘starshine’ breeze blocks hidden away behind a layer of stucco.” The article also directs readers to check out the popular Longleaf Lounge. Mosaic is distributed to 50,000 high-net-worth Morgan Stanley clients. |
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Opportunities still available to partner with Visit NC at 2023 in-person consumer travel shows Visit NC will be back to attending in-person consumer shows in 2023 and still has space for partners at three shows. These consumer shows offer additional opportunities for Visit NC - and its interested partners - for promoting travel to North Carolina to potential visitors who are actively looking for travel suggestions and information. The past shows saw a solid amount of traffic and attendance of nearly 20,000 consumers, travel agents, bloggers and travel writers.
The 2023 consumer shows Visit NC is scheduled to attend are * Jan. 20-22 – AAA Travel Show in Pittsburgh, Penn. - 4 spots available * Jan. 27-29 – Travel & Adventure Show in New York, N.Y. - 3 spots available (This show replaces the NY Times Travel Show) * Feb. 4-5 – Travel & Adventure Show in Washington, D.C. - 2 spots available * Mar. 23-25 – Travel & Adventure Show in ATL. - 2 spots available The cost to attend is $350 per partner for the AAA Travel Show; $850 per partner for the Travel & Adventure Shows. Visit NC is requiring 100 percent participation for "staffing" at each of the consumer travel shows.
In addition, Retire NC has space available for the Fall 2022 Ideal-living Expos * Sept. 7-8, 2022 – Parsippany, NJ - 2 spots available * Sept. 17-18, 2022 – Greater DC Area (Tysons Corner) - 2 spots available
The cost to attend is $450 per partner for non-certified retirement community program participants. Please confirm your attendance by Aug. 5. If you'd like to participate in any of these shows, contactAndre Nabors at (919) 447-7771. |
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N.C.-filmed ‘Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks’ returns to National Geographic The 9th season of the reality series “Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks” debuted this past Sunday on the National Geographic channel. In the series, “bluefin tuna fishermen venture to North Carolina's treacherous fishing grounds, the Outer Banks, where they battle for the ocean's most lucrative prize.” New episodes of the show air Sundays at 8 p.m. (EDT); past seasons can be found on Disney+. |
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N.C. Welcome Centers’ décor spotlights N.C. areas Several of the N.C.s Welcome Centers have added features to their lobbies that further highlight North Carolina and also provide interactive photo opportunities for visitors. These displays not only aim to increase foot traffic into the centers but also serve to spotlight sites within the state to increase interest and visitation to those sites. The pilot program started at the I-26 West Welcome Center in Mars Hill, which features a large, imitation Monarch butterfly and “flying owl” suspended from the ceiling. Both displays feature artwork from the Southern Highland Craft Guild, which has galleries in Asheville and Blowing Rock; this generates interest and potential visitation to those sites. The I-85 North Welcome Center in Norlina features a display case with a mounted red fox provided by the Schiele Museum in Gastonia. The I-77 North Welcome Center in Dobson has a tyke-sized “racing car,” courtesy of Visit Mooresville. |
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The latest addition is at the I-95 North Welcome Center in Pleasant Hill. A 9.5-foot wooden replica of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse was provided by the Crystal Coast TA. For more information on the program, including possibly spotlighting a particular area or site, contact Wally Wazan, with the N.C. Department of Commerce’s Visitors Services program, at (919) 814-4649, or contact the appropriate N.C. Welcome Center manager. |
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Research shows increased excitement to travel, feelings of returning to normal As we move forward in the summer season, openness to travel inspiration remains high with two-thirds of American travelers expressing excitement about new travel experiences or destinations to visit. Travel state-of-mind remains high as well, reports Destination Analysts. |
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Perceptions of how close the U.S. is in terms of returning to normal hit a new peak last month. Nearly 63 percent of American travelers feel more than 50 percent back to normal with regards to resuming leisure activities. An analysis of feelings of normalcy by generation shows that Millennials (67 percent) feel the most back to normal, followed by Gen Xers (61 percent) and Boomers or older (58 percent). |
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The impact of COVID on the ability to have meaningful travel experiences remains low with about one-third of American travelers, indicating that the issue still impacts them. Overall, expectations for the next month in terms of the severity of the pandemic are moving in a positive direction. |
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Visit NC will be providing frequent research updates through Newslink with links to available studies. |
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Wrightsville Beach, Brunswick Islands, Outer Banks among ‘Most Magical Island Getaways’ In its “The 30 Most Magical Island Getaways in the United States,” Good Housekeeping included Wrightsville Beach, the Brunswick Islands and the Outer Banks. GoodHousekeeping.com sees 27 million unique monthly visitors. Of Wrightsville Beach, at #4, the article noted, in part, "Dolphins are regularly spotted in the channel at Wrightsville Beach. We repeat: frequent dolphin sightings. If you're still not sold, remember that bucket list dream of learning to surf? Time to check it off." For the Brunswick Islands, at #16, the segment started, "Relaxation is the name of the game at this low-key string of islands with gorgeous beachfront rental homes waiting for you to swoop in for your sun-filled adventure." Of the Outer Banks, at #27, the article noted, "There's a reason so many flock to this string of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina summer after summer. Diving to shipwrecking sites, browsing The Waterfront Shops in the town of Duck, and noshing on fish tacos at Red Sky Cafe are just a few of our favorite reasons." |
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‘North Carolina Weekend’ For the week of July 21, "North Carolina Weekend” offers “Creator’s Visions.” Featured segments include the Nasher Museum of Art in Durham; WNC Sculpture Center and Park in Lenoir; Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery, with locations in Chimney Rock and Mars Hill; Haand Pottery in Burling and Willabee Market in Vass. (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. |
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Upcoming industry meetings & events through July 22 – Destinations International Annual Convention, Toronto, Ont. July 24-26 – AENC Annual Meeting, New Bern Aug. 6-9 – ESTO, Grand Rapids, Mich. Aug. 8-10 – Connect Sports, Detroit, MI Aug. 11 - Visit NC webinar Aug. 26-30 - SYTA Annual Conference, Washington, D.C. Sept. 6-9 - STS Connections / TTRA Southeast States, Concord Sept. 21-22 – Blue Ridge Parkway Assn. Fall Meeting, Bristol, Va. |
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Resources for travel industry regarding COVID-19
As the travel industry is facing challenging times in the ever-changing situation of COVID-19 and its effects, there are several useful resources available to help with information, communications, planning and guidance. |
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NewsLink is a publication of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina 150 Fayetteville St., Suite 1200, Raleigh, NC 27601 |
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