| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | June 27, 2018 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE: * Biltmore PR team develops CNN Travel story featuring Biltmore Chihuly exhibit
* Visit NC's PR team's Blackbeard pitch lands coverage on USAToday.com
* Aug. 1 is deadline for listings updates for 2019 N.C. Travel Guide
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Due to the July 4 holiday, NewsLink will not be published next week. It returns July 11. |
The June 20 edition of NewsLink inaccurately described the role of the Visit NC PR team in the CNN Travel story about the Chihuly Biltmore exhibit. Visit NC regrets the error. Additional information on the CNN Travel story at Biltmore is included in today's correction. Biltmore PR team develops CNN Travel story featuring Biltmore Chihuly exhibit The efforts by Biltmore's PR team led to CNN Travel's "Chihuly sculpture lights up Biltmore estate." The exhibit by glass artist Dale Chihuly is his first major exhibition in North Carolina and the first outdoor art exhibit Biltmore has hosted, in addition to being the first evening experience in the gardens. The story and video feature the exhibition's installation. Biltmore worked with Chihuly Studio for more than a decade to bring "Chihuly at Biltmore," which runs through Oct. 7, to the estate in Asheville. Biltmore horticulture director Parker Andes and the estate gardeners worked closely with Chihuly "for a full year, discussing planting plans and locations for the installations," Andes says. The pieces have mostly been installed at the carefully designed gardens on the estate, with just one installation inside the house's Winter Garden and two placed at nearby Antler Hill Village & Winery. The ongoing development and credit for the CNN Travel story goes to the Biltmore PR team, with the Visit NC PR Team assisting with background and other support for the coverage. |
Visit NC's PR team's Blackbeard pitch lands coverage on USAToday.com Prompted by a pitch from the Visit NC PR team, writer John Bordsen delved into the 300th anniversary of Blackbeard's endgame for USAToday.com, a major digital outlet with 36.8 unique monthly visits. The article, "N.C.'s haul from 'native son' Blackbeard's 300th anniversary: Tourist gold," and accompanying 28-photo gallery took readers to Beaufort, Bath and Ocracoke to see the pirate's mark on history. Bordsen, former travel editor at The Charlotte Observer, attended Visit NC's 2017 Charlotte media mission. After the event, the PR team pitched the Blackbeard tricentennial in a conversation about stories that might interest Bordsen's editors at USA Today, The Washington Post and elsewhere. The team also provided follow-up information and a copy of author Kevin Duffus' The Last Days of Black Beard the Pirate, an account of the history and its backdrops. |
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Partners, Visit NC PR team efforts lead to N.C. sites among 'The 25 most charming drive-in movie theaters left in America' The Eden Drive-in and Henderson's Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre are featured in the Architectural Digest online gallery "The 25 Most Charming Drive-In Movie Theaters Left in America." After seeing an inquiry about drive-ins in the Help a Reporter Out (HARO) message feed, the Visit NC PR team reached out to partners with a request for photos. The gallery's creator selected images from the Rockingham County and Vance County TDAs for inclusion in the coverage, which celebrates drive-ins as "quintessential Americana." Of Eden Drive-In, the article noted, "Not only can you see a movie at Eden Drive-In - which opened in 1949 - you can also interact with character appearances, which are often tied to blockbuster openings." Of Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre, the article said, "It was called the Moon-Glo when Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre opened in 1949. Just one of six drive-in theatres left in the state, the current owners purchased it in 2011." Architecturaldigest.com receives 1.5 million unique monthly visits. |
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Aug. 1 is deadline for updates, additions to be included in 2019 N.C. Travel Guide Information on attractions and accommodations to be listed in the 2019 Official North Carolina Travel Guide must be submitted by Aug. 1. 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 Official 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, or find the information 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. Please remember a listing on VisitNC.com should be compelling, being the inspiration for a potential visitor to make an actual visit - ideally of at least 50 miles - just to visit a specific attraction or attend a particular event. If you have any questions regarding the 2019 Official North Carolina Travel Guide or your VisitNC.com listing, contact Visit NC's Kathy Prickett at (919) 447-7769. |
| | | Taylor (second from right) with fellow panelists, including CRVA's Heath Dillard (rt) |
Taylor panelist at TTRA conference Visit NC's Marlise Taylor was a panelist this week at a session during the annual TTRA conference in Miami, Fla. "In My Day... Advice and Learnings From Seasoned Travel Researchers" discussed topics ranging from research vendor choice and management, stakeholder issues and organization makeup and strategies. |
| | | (lf-rt) Nabors, Lumberton VB's Angela Sumner, Lumberton's Mayor Bruce Davis, Connie Russ and Jeff Neelon |
Lumberton first town to recertify as N.C. Certified Retirement Community Visit NC's Andre Nabors presented the City of Lumberton with its N.C. Certified Retirement Community (Retire NC) certificate yesterday (Tuesday). Lumberton was the pilot community for the program in 2008 and the first city to be re-certified. Retire NC has 18 communities designated for the program. The distinction means the state has certified that Lumberton has the infrastructure and amenities sought by retirees. In addition, EDPNC/Visit North Carolina will provide promotional assistance to help encourage retirees to visit and relocate to those areas. Lumberton once again met a rigorous set of requirements, including a comprehensive community survey and an asset assessment of the community's preparedness for retiree attraction. Now that it has been recertified a CRC, Lumberton will continue to work with Visit North Carolina to promote the community as a great relocation destination for retirees through Retire NC and consumer trade shows, such as the Ideal Living Resort & Retirement Expo. In addition to Lumberton, other towns in the N.C. Certified Retirement Community program are Asheboro, Eden, Edenton, Elizabeth City, Jamestown/High Point, Laurinburg/Scotland Co., Lenoir, Marion, Mount Airy, New Bern, Pittsboro, Reidsville, Roanoke Rapids, Sanford/Lee County, Tarboro, Washington, and Winterville. To find out more about Retire NC and the Certified Retirement Community program, contact André Nabors at (919) 447-7771. |
Nearly 47 million Americans will set new Independence Day holiday travel record AAA predicts a record-breaking 46.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more away from home this Independence Day holiday, an increase of more than 5 percent compared with last year and the highest number since AAA started tracking 18 years ago. AAA Carolinas reports a record-breaking 1,312,500 North Carolinians and more than 661,500 South Carolinians will travel 50 miles or more away from home - an increase of more than 5 percent from last year. In addition to strong economic variables, the expected increase in travelers this year is helped by Independence Day falling on a Wednesday, giving travelers more flexibility to schedule a trip the weekend before or after the holiday. The Independence Day holiday period is defined as Tuesday, July 3, to Sunday, July 8. |
Vote for N.C. faves among 10Best "high octane" categories Several N.C. favorites are among the "high octane" nominations for three 10Best categories. Online voting by readers is now open via USAToday.com's website; click on the hyperlink to vote. Voting ends July 23at noon. |
'In Western North Carolina: Do go chasing waterfalls' The Associated Press this week released "In Western North Carolina: Do go chasing waterfalls," highlighting waterfalls in Transylvania County. The article noted, "There are at least 250 waterfalls in Transylvania County, North Carolina. Known as the 'Land of Waterfalls, the region has the biggest concentration of waterfalls on the East Coast, according to the local tourism board. The cascades are particularly dramatic now after record-setting rainfall this spring... With lots of state and national parks in the area, visitors have easy access to other outdoor adventures too, including biking trails and fly fishing... Travelers who do go chasing waterfalls this summer could challenge themselves to hunt down as many as they can, bucket-list style, or they could make a leisurely jaunt to one or two." The AP article was picked up by a variety of media outlets, including The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, ABC News.com and Google News. |
July offers 'A summer mountain getaway' The July issue of Our State magazine offers "A Summer Mountain Getaway," spotlighting several sites and activities in Jackson County. "Downtown" visits Saxapahaw; "Restaurant" features Abram's BBQ & Seafood in Tarboro; and "Farm Tour" highlights T.C. Smith Produce Farm in Seven Springs. The July issue is available now. |
Surveys, Industry, Marketing & Travel Trends More black travelers hit the great outdoors as camping activity jumps - Recent gains in outdoor recreation among black travelers help disprove the old stereotype that black Americans don't camp, hike, or otherwise take these kinds of trips, according to Skift. The percentage of American campers who are black rose from 6 to 8 percent between 2012 and 2017, now more closely reflecting that 13 percent of the population is black, according to the 2018 North American Camping Report from Kampgrounds of America. In addition, 14 percent of new campers in 2017 were black, plus 34 percent of non-white millennials said they just started camping in the past few years, compared to 18 percent of white millennials. The report also found that black campers were the fastest growing group of RV users. Among black campers, 27 percent said an RV was their primary accommodation in 2017, up from 19 percent the previous year. Forty percent of black campers said they tried an RV for the first time in 2017, and nearly 40 percent of all black campers who did not own an RV said they would consider buying one. Restaurants flip the script with table-to-farm dining - Farm-to-table doesn't always mean bringing the best of local farms' produce to restaurants. In fact, recently it's meant the opposite with a new generation of farms are debuting restaurants of their own, taking advantage of consumers' newfound dedication to local production. Skift Table explains any hospitality operation comes with challenges, but farm restaurants have a particular set of obstacles to overcome. They are tasked with coordinating crops and cuisine and tailoring menus to seasonal availability all while balancing costs and communications. For instance, a destination brewery in Texas made a significant investment in its organic farm, which now supplies more than half of all vegetables used in the beer garden and at events. But its chef notes, "We have daily access to fresh picked veggies but planning for peak ripeness and quantities available can be challenging." Minimizing waste and making the use of the whole vegetable or animal is a critical element of making the economics at a farm restaurants work. Another restaurant at a Vermont farm noted last year 30 percent of its food costs came directly from the farm - vegetables, beef, lamb, syrup, and cheese - and a total 74 percent of food dollars were spent on Vermont-grown or Vermont-produced products. Its chef explains, ""We price at the going rate for a dish. Our beef, for instance, is relatively inexpensive to put on the plate, but it commands our highest price [$36] because that is what people are willing to pay. This allows us to source better ingredients from local farms and not charge more than diners are willing to pay. Our chicken is a premium product, but it is one of our more modestly priced items because we don't think people will pay more for chicken than for beef." Contrasting colors, natural hues to define 2019 design - In 2019, hotel design will be moving away from the popular neutral color trend of the last several years and going toward bold and unique color pairings with inspiration from nature to make hotels feel more like home, reports HotelNewsNow. PPG recently released its color of the year for 2019, called "Night Watch," which is a deep green color. Dark greens might be seen on walls, in furnishings and in other parts of the hotel, but designers said other colors will be popular, but it depends on the location of the hotel. And while neutrals aren't as predominant as they have been in recent years, they'll still pop up in hotels. |
Balloon releases have detrimental effect on the environment
Attractions such as parks, hotels and other tourism-oriented businesses can help protect the environment by discouraging visitors from releasing balloons. Colorful balloons bring joy to many, however, they pose a risk to wildlife and end up as litter. When helium-filled balloons are released into the sky, they inevitably return to earth, creating pollution and destroying wildlife, on both land and in waterways. Oftentimes, they are mistaken for food and are eaten by sea turtles, fish and birds. Many deceased animals have been found with deflated balloons in their stomachs. Balloon strings can cause entanglement and immobilize animals, preventing them from being able to hunt for food. Marine debris is particularly harmful to animals and all types of plastics, balloons, fishing gear and other trash often end up in the ocean, creating hazards to all sea life. For more information about marine debris and littering, contact NC GreenTravel manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140. |
| | For the week of June 28 on North Carolina Weekend, discover ways to spend a weekend in Kinston. Talk to the animals at Winterpast Farm in Wake Forest. And the "House Special" samples the fare at The Prime Smokehouse in Rocky Mount. (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. | Overnight visitors to North Carolina spent an average of 3.4 nights in the state in 2017. This was slightly down from 3.7 nights in 2016. 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
July 19-20 - MPI-CC Meeting, Winston-Salem July 21-23 - AENC Annual Meeting, Greenville July 27 - Piedmont Triad DMO Meeting, 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. 16 - NC Coast Host Meeting, Greenville Aug. 27-28 - N.C. Restaurant & Lodging Expo, Charlotte |
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