Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners
June 26, 2019
IN THIS ISSUE:
* Visit NC offers  beach safety tips
* July 8 is deadline for listing updates, additions 
in 2020 N.C. Travel Guide
* Visit NC seeking information on local murals
The beach at Duck
Visit NC offers 'Tips for staying safe at the beach this summer'

Visit North Carolina strives to be a helpful resource to partners and, just as importantly, wants to make it easy for partners to share beach safety tips with their visitors. Visit NC has updated its "Tips for Staying Safe at the Beach This Summer," a one-page piece that covers topics from rip currents to sharks, severe weather to sun. The updates also include the most current details on beaches with lifeguard stands, plus local sources and web links where visitors can go to learn more. The sheet can be accessed in .pdf form from partners.visitnc.com/latest-news. Beach safety information continues to be readily available to visitors online at VisitNC.com
July 8 is deadline for listing updates, additions for 2020 North Carolina Travel Guide

Information on attractions and accommodations to be listed in the 2020 Official North Carolina Travel Guide must be submitted by to the appropriate county contact by Monday, July 8. 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 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; this can also be found 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 2020 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 2020 NC Travel Guide Media Kit here. For more information, contact Regional Sales Director Stacey Rosseter at (678) 571-7445
A mural in Sanford
Visit NC seeking information on local murals

Visit NC is currently working on a story to feature beautiful, interesting and unique murals that dot the cities and towns all across the state, plus the places a traveler can visit or things they can do nearby when visiting these murals. Visit NC is looking for recommendations from partners interested in highlighting their local art scene, or even just one specific mural that's of particular importance or beauty. This story is expected to go live this summer, and it will most likely be posted onto Visit NC's social channels and sent out in eNews, in addition to living on the website.

Due to space constraints, every recommendation might not be included in this story, but it's possible the information may be used in future content opportunities. Please send the mural name, location, a high-res photo and photo credit to Jordan Ramos at LGA.
Taylor conducting two sessions at TTRA International

Visit NC's Marlise Taylor moderated the Destination Researchers roundtable session at the TTRA (Travel & Tourism Research Assn.) International Conference this week in Melbourne, Australia. The session, attended by about 90 tourism researchers from around the world, focused on a variety of topics including big data analysis, KPI metrics and GDPR best practices. Taylor will also present a session on event impacts with N.C. State University's Dr. Whitney Knollenburg this week at TTRA.
Record-breaking 48.9 million Americans to travel this Independence Day
 
Nearly 49 million people, more Americans than ever recorded by AAA, are making plans for an Independence Day getaway this year. Overall travel volume for the holiday is expected to rise 4.1 percent compared to last year, with an additional 1.9 million people planning road trips and other vacations to celebrate America's birthday. For the record-high 41.4 million Americans who will travel by automobile this Independence Day, one analytics company predicts drivers could face delays as much as four times a normal commute.
New minor-league baseball team could become game-changer for High Point

The people who brought professional baseball to High Point this year are swinging for the fences with the High Point Rockers and BB&T Point stadium. If their plans for the newly opened ballpark and development around it come to fruition, it will be a game-changer for High Point. The city stepped to the plate about five years ago after planning sessions of its City Council and High Point CVB yielded the same recommendation: The city needed a catalyst for downtown redevelopment. "The idea wasn't, 'We want professional baseball in High Point,'" said a representative with Forward High Point, the downtown revitalization organization. "It was, 'What can we do as a catalyst to change the mental state of High Point?'" A steering committee was put together in 2016 and a feasibility study done; Forward High Point was created and took over the concept; parcels of land were identified; and experienced leadership was found. Forward High Point acquired close to 30 parcels of land, designed, built and funded a $36 million ballpark and bought and fielded a team. The High Point Rockers will maintain and manage the BB&T Point stadium on a 20-year lease that allows the club to "basically control the events that go on here," said a representative with the ball club.
Ocracoke in international spotlight

BBC Travel spotlighted Ocracoke as "The US island that speaks Elizabethan English." Emphasizing the dialect of the island, the article explained, "The people here just have their own way of speaking: it's like someone took Elizabethan English, sprinkled in some Irish tones and 1700s Scottish accents, then mixed it all up with pirate slang. But the Hoi Toider dialect is more than a dialect. It's also a culture, one that's slowly fading away." The article also notes," But in many other ways, the island is a throwback to a time before internet and television. Instead of cinemas, there are outdoor theatre groups. Local teashops, spice markets and other family-owned stores take the place of chain supermarkets."
Biltmore among 5 Vanderbilt-family homes you can visit

After the recent death of Gloria Vanderbilt, Architectural Digest published the online feature "You Can Visit These 5 Vanderbilt-Family Homes," which included Biltmore House, along with mansions in New York and Rhode Island. The article was assigned by an associate editor who met with the PR teams from Biltmore and Visit NC at the New York Media Mission in April. The article, which was picked up by Yahoo! news, explained of Biltmore, "George Vanderbilt loved the Blue Ridge Mountains, so he built a summer home for himself in Asheville, North Carolina. It has since been visited by several U.S. presidents including William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Hosting notable guests was pretty easy, considering there are 35 bedrooms and 43 bathrooms."
Surveys, Industry, Marketing & Travel Trends

Meeting planners make slow progress toward sustainability - There is a big push for events to become more sustainable and better reflect the values of attendees while reducing the environmental impact that events can have on a destination, reports Skift. Meeting planners expect sustainability to be a top focus for venues in coming years, but ingrained event practices make progress slow. The latest Meeting Room of the Future Report from the IACC (formerly known as International Association of Conference Centers) polled 250 meeting planners globally to gauge the direction of an evolving industry. Nearly half of the respondents believed sustainable practices would be one of the most important elements for event sites by 2024, coming in only after access to interactive technology. In particular, reducing food waste came up frequently as a method of reducing environmental impact, with more than 60 percent of planners saying they plan to look at how a venue manages food waste before booking.
 
Hilton to build tech-driven meeting and event spaces for biz travelers - Business travelers are growing tired of meeting in outdated hotel spaces and working alone in their rooms, according to Skift. That's why Hilton Hotels & Resorts is revamping its events strategy to strengthen its appeal to business travelers by upgrading the technology and design of its current offerings. The chain says it's in discussions with a number of franchisees open to adopting two new design concepts called ensemble and character rooms. Each is already in use at select Hilton locations, but the company now aims to expand availability for event planners and business travelers after positive market testing. Character rooms pay homage to a city's culture - similar to lifestyle hotel brands - while ensemble rooms are modeled after a converted innovation lab built by the brand in 2017. Both concepts offer wireless charging and digital whiteboards for presentations powered by cloud technology.
Stormwater runoff
 
Many businesses have a love/hate relationship with rain. While it helps keep landscaping and the natural environment looking lush and healthy, rain can become stormwater runoff, untreated water when it is not absorbed by the ground before it flows into a body of water. On its way to the nearest body of water, stormwater runoff can pick-up a wide assortment of pollutants, including oil from parking lots, pet waste, sediment, pesticides and fertilizers; thereby polluting local streams, lakes and other bodies of water. A top pollutant in stormwater runoff is eroded soil from construction zones, farms and gardens, which form harmful sediments at the bottom of bodies of water. There are several actions any business can implement to help reduce the amount of pollution caused by stormwater runoff. One of the simplest is to make sure all outdoor waste and grease receptacles are kept clean and leak proof. Reduce polluted stormwater runoff by making sure that all water from outdoor cleaning, such as pressure washing and cleaning automobiles, does not flow directly into a stormwater drain. Establish a rain garden or an adequate catch basin to slow down runoff. For more information on what can be done to reduce stormwater runoff, visit the Ultimate Guide to Stormwater Management, or contact NC GreenTravel manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140.
For the week of June 27 on "North Carolina Weekend," learn about the resurgence of Lenoir. Tempt your taste buds at The Lost Colony Brewery and CafĂ© in Manteo. And tag along with Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours during a typical tour in Durham. (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.
In 2018, 28 percent of North Carolina visitors traveled to the Mountain Region, which is approximately 14.5 million person-trips (including approximately 11.4 million overnight person-trips). For marketing purposes, the Mountain Region is made up of the 23 western-most counties of North Carolina. For more North Carolina visitor information, visit Visitor Profile Studiesor contact Visit NC's Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748.

Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events

Through June 27 - TTRA International Conference, Melbourne, Australia
July 18 - MPI-CC Meeting, North Charleston, S.C.
July 20-22 - AENC Annual Meeting, Charlotte
Aug. 6 - BRNHA's Gather 'Round the Blue Ridge, Asheville
Aug. 8 - Visit NC TRAC, Belmont
Aug. 9-13 - SYTA Annual Conference, Birmingham, Ala.
Aug. 13 - NC Travel & Tourism Board Meeting, TBD
Aug. 17-20 - US Travel Assn's ESTO, Austin, Texas
Aug. 26-28 - Connect Sports Conference, Louisville, Ky.
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