| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | March 13, 2019 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE: * Tomorrow is last chance to register for regular rate at Visit NC 365 * Visit NC marketing campaigns garner awards
* Join Visit NC to promote tourism to legislators in D.C. * Visit NC at travel trade shows in Sweden, Denmark and Germany
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Tomorrow is last chance to register for Regular rate at Visit NC 365
Tomorrow is the last chance to get the Regular registration rate of $499/person for the Visit NC 365 Conference, March 31- April 2 in Wilmington. The conference brings together more than 500 members of the tourism industry to discuss the latest trends and issues facing the industry and hear insights from other tourism industry professionals. Register nowthrough tomorrow (Thursday) to receive the Regular rate; on Friday, the Late Registration rate goes into effect, at $525/person.
Room block rates are still available at Coastline Inn - (910) 763-2800 - $129 rate available until March 16. Find out more details, including a schedule of events, at visitnc365.com. Tell Visit NC you've registered by tagging it using hashtag #VisitNC365 on Twitter @NCTourism and Facebook @NCarolinaTourism. For more information on the conference, contact Dana Grimstead at (919) 447-7761. Sponsorship opportunities are also available; to learn more, click here |
| | | Visit NC and LGA team members accepted the awards
\(photo courtesy AAF) |
Visit NC marketing campaigns garner awards
Visit North Carolina's "Firsts That Last" brand advertising campaign and #CAREolinas public service effort earned a total of ten AAAwards (formerly the ADDYs) at the Charlotte AAF's 2018 American Advertising Gala on Feb. 28. Crafted by Visit NC's agency Luquire George Andrews (LGA) and launched in spring 2018, "Firsts That Last" showcases real travelers visiting North Carolina for the first time experiencing distinctive "firsts" such as seeing the ocean, tasting moonshine and rappelling through a waterfall. In addition to receiving the prestigious Best in Show Print Ad Award, "Firsts That Last" was recognized with three Gold and five Silver Awards in multiple categories including cross platform/integrated advertising campaign; film, video and sound; branded content; print; and OOH/theater.
The #CAREolinas initiative, also developed by LGA for Visit NC and in partnership with Discover South Carolina and Recover Brands, earned Gold for Integrated Media Public Service Campaign. #CAREolinas was a response to Hurricane Florence and served as an information hub for hurricane recovery, bringing neighbors together across state lines to share, connect and support relief efforts. The Carolina Panthers, Hendrick Motorsports, Childress Vineyards and Charlotte Motor Speedway were among those bringing additional exposure and support to #CAREolinas, resulting in more than $136,000 in hurricane relief funds. The Charlotte AAF is an affiliate of the American Advertising Federation (AAF), a national organization of 50,000 professionals. |
Join Visit NC to promote tourism to legislators in D.C.
Visit NC's Heidi Walters will be participating in US Travel Association's Destination Capitol Hill events April 10-11 in Washington, D.C. Visit NC is inviting partners to coordinate their own participation plans with Walters to better strengthen efforts. The event brings travel leaders from across the country to Washington to educate policymakers about the power of travel. The program combines a legislative day on Capitol Hill with advocacy training, guest speakers and peer-to-peer networking. To coordinate activities or to find out more, contact Heidi Walters at (919) 447-7762. |
| | | Walters (ct) at Sweden show |
Visit NC at travel trade shows in Sweden, Denmark and Germany
Visit North Carolina's Wit Tuttell and Heidi Walters recently took part in three travel trade shows in Europe. Swanson's Travel in Osby, Sweden, has an annual consumer travel event in March with 1,500 potential U.S. visitors. Visit NC participated at this show with Travel South for the first time. Visit NC also exhibited at the FDM consumer show in Copenhagen, educating 4,000 potential visitors. The response to these shows exceeded all expectations with many planned trips to the state in the coming months. In 2017, Sweden ranked 14th in International Markets with 8,400 visitors spending $10 million - an increase of 5.3 percent from 2016. Danish visitors ranked 16th with 5,800 visitors spending $14 million. |
| | (lf-rt) Tuttell, U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, and Georgia Tourism director Kevin Langston at ITB | |
Following the Denmark show was ITB, the largest travel trade show in the world, in Berlin. Visit NC exhibits every other year as part of Travel South. This year's participation was especially relevant with the start this month of American Airlines' Munich - Charlotte Douglas International Airport direct flight. At this year's event, Tuttell and Walters had 48 pre-scheduled appointments with travel trade and media representatives. In 2017, 50,600 German visitors came to North Carolina, spending $74 million, an increase of more than 7 percent from the previous year. For more information on Visit NC's international marketing efforts, contact Heidi Walters at (919) 447-7762. |
Philadelphia Travel & Adventure show sees strong interest in N.C.
This past weekend, Visit NC attended the Travel & Adventure Show in Philadelphia, Penn., partnering with the Outer Banks VB, Boone TDA, Greenville CVB, High Point CVB, New Bern CVB, Johnston County VB and Crystal Coast TA. The booth had solid traffic throughout the consumer travel show, which saw an attendance of more than 16,000. Visit NC will be developing a schedule for 2020 Travel & Adventure Shows in the coming months. These shows offer additional opportunities for Visit NC - and its interested partners - to promote travel to North Carolina to potential visitors who are actively looking for travel suggestions and information. Partners interested in participating in any of the 2020 shows should contact Andre Nabors at (919) 447-7771. |
| | Nabors (rt) shares information with an attendee | |
EDPNC's BLNC and Visit NC at N.C. Main Street Conference
Visit NC's André Nabors and the EDPNC's Business Link NC (BLNC) attended the N.C. Main Street Conference in Salisbury this week. The conference is open to anyone interested in economic development for downtowns. Attendees from across the state learned about how to connect with BLNC for business start-up information and programs with the EDPNC, as well as Visit NC opportunities and the RetireNC program. |
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Help planning National Travel & Tourism Week with toolkit, themes
This year's National Travel & Tourism Week, May 5-11, has the theme "Travel Then and Now." Travel and tourism professionals from across the nation work throughout National Travel & Tourism Week to promote the impactful contributions their travel markets and organizations make to the U.S. economy. The travel community marks the event in a number of creative ways, from staging local rallies and conducting media outreach to securing proclamations and resolutions from local governments. Travel is a primary industry in America. In addition to promoting the whole week in regard to the importance of travel, Tuesday, May 7, is Travel Rally Day. U.S. Travel Association offers a toolkit, with resources such as ways to salute travel, suggestions for a successful Travel Rally Day, and samples for a proclamation, talking points, blog post, press release, op-ed, and media advisory. This year, there's also a social media themed calendar so each day of NTTW can highlight a different reason Travel Matters. DMOs can even put their NTTW observances on the NTTW Event Map. |
| | | A previous NTTW celebration at I-40 West NC Welcome Center |
Participate with N.C. Welcome Centers during National Travel & Tourism Week
Each year during National Travel & Tourism Week, North Carolina's nine Welcome Centers celebrate the occasion by inviting travel partners to help thank visitors for traveling here. Tourism Week provides an excellent opportunity to bring your message directly to visitors in the state seeking travel information. Attractions, accommodations and other tourism-related businesses are invited to participate in Tourism Week; there is no charge to participate, but space is limited and reservations are required. To co-ordinate participation, tourism-related businesses should contact the N.C. Welcome Center of their choice, finding the contact information here.
National Travel & Tourism Week observances at the N.C. Welcome Centers will take place 10 am - 2 pm; dates for activities at each Welcome Center are
* May 8: I-40 West, which is closed for renovation, will take place at the Haywood County TDA Visitor Center in Maggie Valley * May 9: I-26 East, I-77 North and I-77 South * May 10: I-85 North, I-85 South and I-95 South * I-26 West plans to observe each weekday with special themes * I-95 North - TBD |
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N.C. towns, hotels and more among 'The South's Best'
Southern Living has released the results of its "The South's Best" winners, a digitally crowd-sourced survey that garnered more than 65,000 responses. Beaufort was named Best Small Town, coming in at #1, with Blowing Rock #10. Asheville ranked #5 among Best Cities with Wilmington at #8. Wrightsville Beach was #4 among Best Beach Towns. Asheville was #6 among Best Food Cities. Of the Best Food Towns, Kinston was #5 and Davidson #10. Among the Best Hotels, Inn on Biltmore Estate in Asheville was #2. Bed & Breakfast on Tiffany Hill in Mills River was #2 among Best Inns. The Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville was #1 among Best Resorts. Lexington Barbecue in Lexington was #2 among the Best BBQ Joints, with B's Barbecue in Greenville #9. Among the Best Restaurants, Chef & the Farmer in Kinston was #3 and PinPoint Restaurant in Wilmington #9. Of the Best Bars, The Backstreet Pub in Beaufort was #3 and Thirsty Monk in Asheville #10. Vivian Howard, of Kinston, was recognized #1 as Best Chef, with Ashley Christensen, of Raleigh, #9 and Katie Button, of Asheville, #10. |
STS Top 20 Events nominations for October-November-December deadline April 19
The deadline for nominating events for Southeast Tourism Society's Top 20 Events for October-November-December is April 19. 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 and events do not have to be a member of STS to participate. |
Sustainable tourism practices improve profits
The article "Green Tourism: An Investment Worth Making," produced by N.C. State University's Tourism Extension, explains how Rhea Hospitality's sustainable practices exemplify how green practices not only support responsible tourism, but are also profitable. The hospitality group owns Durham's The King's Daughters Inn and Cary's The Mayton Inn. Rhea Hospitality's historic properties have been retrofitted with state-of-the-art green technology complemented with native plant gardens and mealscomprised of local goods. Its energy management system can be found in every room, detecting visitor occupation with an infrared sensor to ensure the power shuts off when no one is there. It has also implemented practices for water conservation. For example, the properties filter water from the laundry operations to flush the toilets and have rain cisterns underground that collect water from the roof to use for irrigation and outdoor watering. Using green technology not only supports responsible tourism and a healthy environment, it also proves exceptionally profitable - a reality contrary to popular belief. Though these amenities appear costly at the forefront, Rhea Hospitality made its return of investment within only three to five years of implementation, depending on each investment. It garners rates anywhere from 30 to 100 percent - a payback common among businesses with green operations. Additionally, these practices entice customers who gravitate towards green, responsible businesses. For information about implementing green technology, contact NC GreenTravel managerTom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140. |
| | For the week of March 14 on North Carolina Weekend, go behind the curtain at the NC Stage Company in Asheville. Step back in time at the Country Doctor Museum in Bailey. Discover wakeboarding with Wake2Wake Watersports in Bath. And the "House Special" samples the fare at the Starlight Café in Greenville. (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. | The Western Prosperity Zone of North Carolina experienced the largest growth in hotel/motel room inventory of all the regions in 2018. With an increase of nearly 4 percent (3.8 percent), the region has seen 11 percent room inventory growth in the last five years. For more North Carolina visitor information, visit Lodging Reports, or contact Visit NC's Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748. |
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Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events
through March 16 - SXSW Festival Conference, Austin, Texas March 19-21 - STS Connections / SETTRA Meeting, Daytona Beach, Fla. March 20 - NC Sports Assn. Quarterly Meeting, Hickory April 2-5 - AFCI Week, Los Angeles April 18 - Visit NC's TRAC, Alamance County May 5-11 - National Travel & Tourism Week, nationwide May 7 - Visit NC Travel & Tourism Board Meeting, TBD |
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