| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | June 13, 2018 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE: * TRAC coming to Tarboro/Edgecombe County and region tomorrow
* Frontier Airlines adds three international, three domestic destinations to RDU
* Spirit Airlines joins AVL, adds three Florida flights
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 | | | A previous TRAC in Swan Quarter |
TRAC coming to Tarboro/Edgecombe County and region tomorrow Tomorrow (Thursday), tourism-related businesses in Tarboro and Edgecombe 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 at the Tarboro Coffee House, 439 Main St. in Tarboro. There is no charge to attend, no reservation is required, and there are 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. |
Frontier Airlines adds three international, three domestic destinations to RDU
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Spirit Airlines joins AVL, adds three Florida flights
Spirit Airlines is coming to the Asheville Regional Airport. The airline said it's adding service to AVL from Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa. Starting in September, flights from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and Orlando International Airport (MCO) will run three times weekly; flights from Tampa International Airport (TPA) start at two times a week. Service expands in November with an additional flight each week for all three destinations |
STS Top 20 Events nominations for January-February-March deadline July 13 The deadline for nominating events for Southeast Tourism Society's Top 20 events for January-February-March is July 13. Nominated events must have an attendance of at least 1,000 and be in the third year of existence. Nominations for STS' Top 20 Events can now be submitted electronically using a downloadable .pdf. Top 20 Events strongly encourages entrants to support their nomination by providing supporting material such as photos, posters, brochures, press releases, news clippings and/or volunteer programs. There is a $20 entry fee per event nomination and events do not have to be a member of STS to participate. |
Vote for Asheville's Urban Orchard Cider for Best Cider Bar Vote for Urban Orchard Cider in Asheville for 10Best's Best Cider Bar. Hard cider is a gluten-free drink made with fermented apples, and cideries and cider bars are popping up across the United States. Online voting by readers is now open via USAToday.com's website; click on the hyperlink to vote. Voting ends July 9 at noon. |
Surveys, Industry, Marketing & Travel Trends
Stay longer, spend more: Shopping centers and hotels find common ground - The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) recently held its annual RECon convention, where some 35,000 developers, banker, retailers, brokers and vendors gathered to make deals and discuss industry trends, challenges and opportunities. As reported by a contributor to Forbes, the agenda included a panel on hotels as alternative uses in shopping centers. Pairing hotels with nearby shopping is not a novel concept - shopping centers and retail-oriented mixed-use projects have included hotels in past years, although in many cases they have been afterthoughts on outparcels with little connection to shops and restaurants. But today, retail developers are adding hotels with more frequency and are placing them in more prominent and integral locations. It's part of a broader strategy to find uses that will drive additional traffic to their centers. In turn, shopping centers are becoming a preferred destination for hotel investors that want to provide more amenities to their customers, explained one panelist. The panelists were quick to point out that hotels were not a silver bullet for struggling shopping centers, even as some landlords put hotels on the sites of departed department stores. Developers first need to determine whether hotel demand exists at a location, and except for tourist or regional shopping destinations, that often requires a significant business presence nearby. Luxury travelers want to be green - except when it comes to their bathroom amenities - In case you missed it, reports Quartz, single use plastic is the modern day consumer's pariah. From Starbucks to Alaska Airlines to the IKEA, companies and retailers are ditching single use plastic in a bid to be more environmentally friendly and live up to the ideal of conscientious consumption. The hotel space is no different. Edition Hotels, which is co-owned by Marriott, recently announced it was going plastic-free and is hoping to lead a coalition of boutique luxury hoteliers to do the same. Even Hilton has pledged to remove plastic straws and plastic water bottles from meetings and events in certain regions. But there's one place where it appears guests are not eager to want less plastic to help the planet: in the bathroom. Based on a survey of 2,000 guests, Sofitel found a strong dislike for eliminating single use bottles in favor of bulk containers: "72% of the survey respondents said dispensers don't convey luxury, while 87% get the impression that they are being used to reduce costs." |
Reducing single-use plastics at hospitality businesses Making environmentally sound decisions is essential to tourism businesses. Being green has many benefits, and it helps to save money. Hotels can do their part to become more environmentally sustainable by reducing single-use plastics.According to the new organization Travel Without Plastic, there are many zero-cost, low-cost products and methods to help hotels, restaurants and attractions reduce disposable plastics. Single-use plastic straws, polystyrene foam, plastic cutlery and other disposable, single-use plastics litter streets, parks and waterways, and are endangering and killing wildlife in huge numbers. Other organizations, such as Greenpeace International, Surfrider Foundation and Earthday Network, are working to help consumers and businesses reduce single-use plastics in the environment. There are alternatives to using these plastic products, such as reusable straws, cutlery and cups. For further information about reducing single-use plastics at tourism-oriented businesses, contact NC GreenTravel manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140.
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| | For the week of June 14 on North Carolina Weekend, learn about the first European settlers - the Spanish - via the Fort San Juan and Joara Exhibit at the History Museum of Burke County in Morganton. Go behind the scenes at The Lost Colony outdoor drama in Manteo. Wonder about the mysteries of Judaculla Rock in Cullowhee. It's all aboard with Seavisions Charters in Beaufort. And the "House Special" samples the fare at Crabby Abby's in Marion. (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. | In 2017, approximately 9.2 million day-trips were taken in North Carolina. In terms of day-trip visitation, North Carolina ranked #8 in the U.S. A day-tripper is defined as a visitor who did not spend any nights away from home, but traveled at least 50 miles one-way from home. 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
June 14 - Visit NC's TRAC, Tarboro July 19-20 - MPI-CC Meeting, Winston-Salem July 21-23 - AENC Annual Meeting, Greenville July 27 - Piedmont Triad DMO, High Point Aug. 7 - Visit NC Travel & Tourism Board Meeting, TBD 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. 27-28 - N.C. Restaurant & Lodging Expo, Charlotte
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