| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | July 3, 2019 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE:
* Visit North Carolina joins Travel South USA in China
* Elizabeth City Area CVB board learns about Visit NC * Taylor recognized by TTRA with international award |
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Visit North Carolina joins Travel South USA in China
Visit NC's Wit Tuttell and Heidi Walters joined representatives from eight other Southern states and several CVBs for a mission to China last month. Travel South coordinated the mission that included both trade training and media appointments in Shanghai, Hangzhou and Beijing. Visit North Carolina participates in Travel South's shared representation in the market, along with having a dedicated WeChat account for tourism. In 2017, North Carolina welcomed more than 36,000 Chinese visitors, who spent $102 million in the state. China ranks #3 in N.C. overseas visitation and #2 in overseas spending. For more information on the Visit NC's international program, contact Heidi Walters at (919) 447-7762. |
Elizabeth City Area CVB board learns about Visit NC
Last week, Visit NC's André Nabors met with the board of the Elizabeth City Area CVB to discuss Visit NC and the work it does. He spoke about the importance of tourism to the state and Pasquotank County, in addition to Visit NC's work to promote travel to and within the state. Nabors also emphasized the importance of partnering with Visit NC to further promote Pasquotank County to potential visitors. |
Taylor recognized by TTRA with international award
Visit NC's Marlise Taylor was recognized with the Shifflet Award for Research Excellence, presented during TTRA's international conference in Australia last week. The award recognizes a practitioner or their DMO for research that resulted or contributed to key decisions or actions for their organization and/or its constituents. Taylor's work for hurricane perception research was the example submitted in her nomination. In addition, N.C. State University's Whitney Knollenberg was one of two recipients recognized with the Boeing Travel Research Grant during the conference. |
Vote for N.C. sites among 2019 Readers' Choice Best Hotels/Resorts
North Carolina has several sites among the nominations for 10Best's Readers' Choice Awards categories for best hotels and resorts. Online voting by readers is now open via USAToday.com; click on the hyperlink to vote. Voting ends July 29 at noon.
Best Hotel Restaurant - Herons, The Umstead Hotel and Spa, Cary |
Beacham new director for Pamlico County Chamber Tina Foreman Beacham is the new director for the Pamlico County Chamber of Commerce. She may be contacted at (252) 745-3008 or via pamlicochamber@gmail.com. |
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Charlotte's hotels, bars in the spotlight Last month, Condé Nast Traveler spotlighted Charlotte with two articles. As "9 Hotels in Charlotte" explained, "The city's boom has also brought the world's leading hotel brands here. Whether your tastes run blue-blooded (Ritz-Carlton), trendy (Kimpton) or all-purpose yet affordable (Omni and Westin), there's a place to lay your head, and reap those coveted rewards. With all the new construction it's easy to overlook Charlotte's legacy, but step inside The Dunhill and it all comes flooding back. Live like a hip royal in the Queen City and hole up at The Ivey's, where Paris panache and steampunk swank live together in haute harmony. But don't forget that life exists beyond the high-rises of Uptown. Make your way to leafy Myers Park, where the historic Duke Mansion epitomizes Southern grace, shop and dine in style at the Renaissance in SouthPark, or head out to The Ballantyne for birdies and bliss-out sessions at the spa." For "15 Best Bars in Charlotte," the article noted, "From rock solid craft beer to innovative cocktails, Charlotte delivers plenty of options to wet your whistle. This list of the 15 best bars in Charlotte serves up a guide on where to go for a chic date night, a celebratory post-work drink, or a a great TV situation with ideal sports viewing. The bar scene in the Queen City has expanded as quickly as everything else around here in recent years, so drinkers should expect no shortage of high quality brewed, shaken and stirred options." |
Bryson City one of '15 Best Small-Town July Fourth Fireworks' Reader's Digest included Bryson City as one of the "15 Best Small-Town July Fourth Fireworks." Of Bryson City's inclusion, the article stated, "Billed as the 'best fireworks show in the Smokies,' Bryson City hosts Freedom Fest on the Fourth, an old-fashioned street festival in its charming downtown. Craft and food vendors, a Kids Zone, a pet parade, a watermelon-eating contest, and live music all lead up to the big event. Visitors can even take an evening ride on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Freedom Train for dinner and spectacular sunset views - and get back in time for the fireworks." |
Sunset Mountain among '13 Awesome Places You Can Watch Fireworks This Year' For its "13 Awesome Places You Can Watch Fireworks This Year," Men's Journal offered suggestions to combine Fourth of July fireworks excursions with some adrenaline-fueled adventure. Sunset Mountain at Black Mountain was included, with the article explaining, "The Blue Ridge Mountains beckon with alluring scenery, sure, but you'll really be blown away when the dramatic landscapes are illuminated by bursts of Independence Day color. To earn this reward, hike a 1.5 mile trail to the peak of Sunset Mountain starting at 6:00pm, departing from the Swannanoa Valley Museum. After a traditional watermelon-cutting and sunset viewing, take in the fireworks that cascade over the town of Black Mountain, North Carolina." |
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Nantahala Outdoor Center among 'Camp Getaways for the Whole Family' In its Travel section last month, The New York Times offered "Camp Getaways for the Whole Family," explaining, "Though most adults can't swing two months at a bucolic escape, vacationing in a feels-like-camp setting is doable." Among the spots highlighted to conjure that nostalgia for the whole family, the story included the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City. The article noted, "Nantahala Outdoor Center has been offering water-based adventures in North Carolina (and provides a training ground for several Olympic whitewater athletes) for approximately 40 years. Its 500-acre base camp, at the intersection of the Nantahala River and the Appalachian Trail, offers bare-bones platform tents, trail-side cabins and a hostel-style bunkhouse. Attractions include mountain biking, hiking trails, four zip-lining courses over waterfalls, and, of course, whitewater rafting (the area has both Class II rapids for young children and Class III for teens). There are two casual restaurants on site, and swimming and fishing happen on Fontana Lake, about 10 minutes away." |
July features 'Summer in a Sandwich' The July issue of Our State magazine features "Summer in a Sandwich," spotlighting tomatoes, with a special insert showcasing "50 Food Experiences You Can't Miss in N.C." "Downtown" visits Highlands; "Farm Tour" highlights Geraldine's Peaches in Lumberton; and "Eats" looks at "Favorite Sundae Drives." The July issue is available now.
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Environmental aspects, impacts and objectives
Developing a business's Environmental Management System (EMS) is an essential part of protecting the environment and helping to add green to the bottom line. It is a way to manage environmental impact by using a comprehensive and systematic process to increase a business's operating efficiency. It's important to form a "green team," stakeholders to design and implement a sustainability program and then develop a viable environmental policy. The next step is to determine how a business interacts with the environment. In order to do this, first examine what aspects of the business have an impact on the environment. For example, one aspect of a business's environmental profile may include the use of printers and copiers. Therefore, the environmental impacts of using printer/copiers are that trees have to be cut down to make paper and the subsequent waste paper and printer cartridges may end up in the landfill. That means that objectives and targets for reducing the environmental impact of the printer/copier use could include recycling printer cartridges, setting default printer settings to automatically print double-sided copies, recycling scrap paper and also purchasing recycled paper and cartridges. There are many other methods to reduce a company's environmental impact. For further information about developing an Environmental Management System for your business, contact NC GreenTravel Initiative Manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140. |
| | For the week of July 5 on "North Carolina Weekend," see why Asheville is called the "City of Glass" with visits to several glass studios. Lift a glass at Southern Grace Distilleries in Mount Pleasant. Discover Aurora Fossil Museum in Aurora and try some digging, too. And the "House Special" samples the fare at Willow's Bistro in Winston-Salem. Please note that the typical Thursday 9 pm broadcast is preempted for 4th of July special programming.(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. | Overnight visitors to North Carolina spent an average of 3.4 nights in the state in 2018. Mountain Region visitors spent an average of 2.9 nights, while Coastal Region visitors spent an average of 4.5 nights in 2018. Piedmont Region visitors stayed an average of 3.3 nights while visiting the region. For more North Carolina visitor information, visit Visitor Profile Studies, or contact Visit NC's Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748. |
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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, Cary 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 |
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