Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners
June 17, 2020
IN THIS ISSUE:
*  Today's Visit NC webinar overview
* Visit NC's efforts pay off with substantial media coverage in Canadian outlets for May
* TRAC attendance + PR efforts lead to Emberglow among the 'Best campsites'
*  Eight N.C. Welcome Centers reopen
Visit NC webinar looks at travel sentiment, Visit NC's marketing programs update, N.C. Welcome Centers re-opening

Visit NC's webinar today (Wednesday) presented an update on traveler sentiment, marketing efforts related to Cook It Forward NC and Count on Me NC, as well as new operating procedures at the state's Welcome Centers and Call Centers as part of the organization's ongoing webinar series.
 
With regards to traveler sentiment, Visit NC's Marlise Taylor looked at consumer confidence, providing the latest information from H2R and Destinations Analyst. (See "Research looks at consumer confidence" in this NewsLink.)
 
On the marketing front, Visit NC's Allison Schult noted that Cook It Forward NC has moved into its next phase and will be sharing cooking demonstrations from chefs on the VisitNC Instagram page. With regards to Count on Me NC, more than 10,000 entities have taken the online courses and completed certification; more than 7,000 consumers have taken the pledge. The NCRLA is working to get out decals for businesses to display.
 
Finally, N.C. Commerce's Wally Wazan shared with the audience that eight of the nine N.C. Welcome Centers have re-opened. (See "Eight N.C. Welcome Centers reopen this week with new health precautions implemented" in this NewsLink.)
Wazan also noted that, while the Call Center is not currently hosting DMOs and other partners to give informational presentations, organizations can still send updated information electronically to be shared with staff and operators. Additionally, the N.C. Welcome Centers aren't currently accepting brochures at this time due to their abundance of existing stock.

Recordings of past webinars - NC Tourism Amid COVID-19, Crisis Research and Communications for Tourism During COVID-19, 2020-2021 Visit NC Co-op Program Presentation, Shifts in Social Media Strategies, NC Tourism Legislative Update and Research Insights into the American Traveler, NC Lodging Industry, The Art of Making Things Happen: Collaborate. Communicate. Cooperate, and, in conjunction with the EDPNC, Leveraging Mobile Location Data to Measure Consumer Behavior - are available here, as is today's webinar. Visit NC's webinar topics and registration information will be posted as available on Partners.VisitNC - COVID-19 and VisitNC365.com.
Visit NC's efforts pay off with substantial media coverage in Canadian outlets for May
 
Many destinations not only in the U.S. but globally continue to work the Canadian market to position their brand for recovery. Through the efforts of Visit NC's PR team and several regional partners, North Carolina and these partners were featured in many print and online articles across Canada in May, resulting in more than 1.5 million media impressions.
 
Visit NC's Canadian media mission in February was featured in The Montrealer's "North Carolina tourism officials make a pitch for Canadian visitors." Participating partners in the Canadian media mission included Brevard-Transylvania County TDA, Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, Durham CVB, Greater Raleigh CVB, Johnston County VB and the Outer Banks VB. The Travel Talk columnist noted "The State of North Carolina sure did come across to me as impressive... From the misty mountains to the sunny coast, the North Carolina travel experience offers endless dimensions of natural beauty, urban vitality, history, arts and culture, outdoor adventure, culinary craft and artisan drink."
 
Drift Travel's "Wellness Retreats for Serious Wellness Seekers" and TO Times' "Wellness retreats for when it is okay to travel again" highlighted Skyterra Wellness Retreat in Lake Toxaway, Art of Living Retreat in Boone, Westglow Resort & Spa in Blowing Rock and OM Sanctuary in Asheville.
 
Travel Industry Today's "Virtually There: America East, armchair travel experiences" sampled virtual tours, including gardens such as The Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo, Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham, and Biltmore Blooms in Asheville; mountain hiks in the Asheville area; Kitty Hawk Kites' tandem hang-glider; and water activities that Bryson City and the Great Smokies offer.
 
Vita Daily's "Virtual Postcards from North Carolina" offered Canadians the virtual postcards created by Visit North Carolina.
 
Other articles were Family Fun Travel's "Unspoiled Beaches, History of Flight, a Lost Colony and So Much More in the Outer Banks North Carolina," le Devoir's "Riposte planétaire contre la grisaille ambiante" (roughly translated, "Planetary response against ambient greyness"), and Travel Life's "A Taste For Travel: Inspiring Recipes From Around the World."
 
The U.S.-Canada border is scheduled to reopen in late July and North Carolina looks forward to welcoming Canadians back to our state. For more information on media opportunities in Canada, contact Visit NC's Suzanne Brown.
TRAC attendance + PR efforts lead to Emberglow among the 'Best campsites across the US for a scenic outdoor getaway'

The TRAC in Columbus had strong attendance from the region
Due to attending Visit NC's TRAC (Tourism Resource Assistance Center) in Columbus this past February, and then followed-up by Visit NC's PR team after the event, Emberglow Outdoor Resort in Mill Spring is among Business Insider's "17 of the best campsites across the US for a scenic outdoor getaway." Because of the information gleaned during the TRAC visit and the additional information then garnered by the PR team regarding precautions taken due to COVID-19, the PR team had the necessary information to pitch Emberglow to the Business Insider. Of Emberglow, the article noted, "One of the biggest perks for campers is that you can pick your own memorable lodging experience (or bring your own). Yurts, airstreams, and treehouses are all available, or you can BYORV or pitch your own tent."
Blue Point, Reynolda House among 'Places We Love'

As a result of the continued work by Visit NC's PR team with an editor, Southern Living included The Blue Point in Duck and Reynolda House Museum of American Art in Winston-Salem in its "102 Places We Love," places and things adored by the Southern Living team. The editor-in-chief said, "I've lived in New York City - city of great restaurants - for decadds, but I still love going to the Outer Banks, where I spent many summers, and eat at The Blue Point in Duck, N.C. The food, the Currituck Sound view, everything." A Team member explained of Reynolda House, "See rotating collections of contemporary works, or walk through vegetable and rose gardens meticulously maintained for over a century. The article appears in the magazine's July/August issue; Southern Living has a circulation of more than 2 million.
The lobby at NC Welcome Center I-40 West
Eight N.C. Welcome Centers reopen this week with new health precautions implemented

As of today (Wednesday), eight of the nine N.C. Welcome Centers are now back open for the traveling public, after being closed due to the Stay at Home order related to COVID-19. (The exception is I-77 South in Charlotte, which is closed until at least July due to interior renovations.) The I-40 West Welcome Center in Waynesville reopened after extensive renovations, after having been closed since December 2018; the welcome center staff had been operating out of the Haywood County TDA's visitor center during the renovation project. In addition, I-95 North Welcome Center has reopened in Pleasant Hill, after being closed since April 2019 for renovations; the staff had operated out of the Halifax County CVB visitors center.
 
The N.C. Welcome Centers have modified operations to limit visitor contact with the brochure stock. They are promoting social distancing with visible signage, partitions and distance markings, plus recognizing a reduced maximum occupancy for visitors. In addition, staff are wearing masks and gloves. Working primarily from the reception desk and behind health partitions, travel counselors will provide visitors with state maps marked with itineraries/directions, N.C. Travel Guides and specific destinations' guides and brochures. Materials will be placed in a "North Carolina takeaway bag" and then passed to the visitor below the partition.
 
During today's Visit NC webinar, Wally Wazan reported the success of the reopenings for the Welcome Centers, which started on June 11. In the first week, most of the Welcome Centers averaged 60-95 visitors inside per day - which was much higher than anticipated. Visitors to the mountain region Welcome Centers were seeking outdoor rec info (hiking trails, state parks, camping). Visitors to other Welcome Centers were seeking info about beaches and outdoor recreational activities. Some Welcome Center did book hotel reservations for visitors while still observing precautions.
 
The NC Welcome Centers and Inquiry Program staff are participating in Count On Me NC. The Certificates of Completion will be displayed accordingly at each site.
Research looks at consumer confidence

As economic recovery is dependent on consumer confidence, consumer confidence is dependent on volume of virus cases and risk tolerance of travelers. As part of its week one of COVID tracking: Rebuild Edition, H2R Market Research has developed a COVID-19 Confidence Index to help measure the degree to which visitors to attractions will feel safe and confident. The index shows that younger travelers (<50 years of age) have a higher confidence score than those older than 50, and attractions visitors have a slightly higher score than overall travelers. When asked about barriers to travel in the next six months, large crowds, exposure to the virus and others' irresponsibility top the list by more than half of respondents.


Similarly, recent research from Destination Analysts notes that poor "pandemic etiquette" behavior by others and a perceived lack of enforcement over proper behavior can be a deterrent to the desirability of a destination. When asked to think of a destination they are interested in being crowded or having visitors not following proper social distancing rules, nearly two-thirds of American travelers said it would make them less interested in visiting that destination. 

While some Americans' summer travel plans are already in the works, H2R reports that consumers are split on when exactly they will start traveling. Most (56 percent) fall into the Late Adapter (42 percent) and Laggard (14 percent) categories - waiting until there is a decline in COVID cases or until there is a vaccine. Meanwhile, 14 percent of consumers (Early Adopters) have already ventured out and visited an attraction or traveled for leisure.


Those who will travel this summer and later in 2020, report that destinations they are familiar with are more appealing than new destinations. More than 60 percent of respondents said it was likely that the primary destination of their next leisure trip would be one they have visited before and more than one-third noted that familiar destinations are more appealing in this current environment.


Visit NC will be providing frequent research updates through Newslink each week with links to available studies.
STS Top 20 Events nominations now have only 2 deadlines for 2021; deadline for January-June events is July 17

Southeast Tourism Society is changing the deadline for its Top 20 Events in 2021, moving from four deadlines for a three-month period to two deadlines for the first and second halves of the year. So the deadline for nominating events for Southeast Tourism Society's Top 20 events for January-June is July 17. 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 via an online form. 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 $30 entry fee per event nomination; events do not have to be a member of STS to participate.
'North Carolina's First Alpine Coaster Opens in Banner Elk'

Southern Living helped spread the word of Banner Elk's newest attraction in its "North Carolina's First Alpine Coaster Opens in Banner Elk." The online article noted, "Last month, North Carolina got its first alpine coaster, located on the outskirts of Banner Elk. Geared towards adrenaline junkies of all ages, the Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster consists of three circular loops along with plenty of waves and twists. The mountain coaster has two hand brakes per car (similar to bike handles) for riders to control the speed of their adventure, and you can cruise through lush Tar Heel State's mountainside at speeds of up to 27 miles per hour."
High Point CVB changes website, emails

High Point CVB has changed its website to www.visithighpoint.com. In addition, they're changed the suffix on their emails, which are now FirstInitialLastName@visithighpoint.com.

For the week of June 11, "North Carolina Weekend" visits several country stores and markets. Featured sites include DE Turner & Co. Hardware in Mooresville, Historic Thompson's Store in Saluda, Stanfield's General Store in Four Oaks, JR Moore & Son General Store in Gulf, Conrad & Hinkle Food Market in Lexington, and Wilkes County Hardware in North Wilkesboro. (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.
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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