Weekly e-newsletter for Visit NC partners - March 17, 2021 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE:
* Have you registered for Visit NC 365? * Visit NC PR team assists with Country Living coverage for Highlands, Cashiers * N.C. Film Office's Gaster offers film industry update |
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Have you registered for Visit NC 365? Registration, offered free of charge this year, is open for the annual Visit NC 365 Conference, so please preregister. This industry event, in addition to engaging keynote speakers, will offer breakout sessions and reveal Visit NC’s newest marketing campaign and 2021-‘22 cooperative marketing program. The Visit NC 365 Conference, named for the year-round tourism industry across the state, brings together more than 500 of the state's tourism industry leaders. Brought to you virtually this year on Wednesday, April 21, and Thursday, April 22, Visit NC 365 Conference will feature keynote speakers Adam Sacks, founder and president at Tourism Economics; Risha Grant, award-winning D&I consultant, author and international speaker; and Matthew Luhn, former lead storyteller and animator at Pixar Studios. More information on each speaker and full agenda can be found here. For more information on the conference, contact Amanda Baker. Sponsorship opportunities are also available; to learn more, contact Dana Grimstead. |
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Visit NC PR team assists with Country Living coverage for Highlands, Cashiers The April issue of Country Living magazine features Highlands in a roundup of “The Country’s Best Small Towns.” The writer contacted the Visit NC PR team for assistance, which included a connection to the Highlands Chamber of Commerce and a link to the inaugural Bear Shadow music festival in April. Citing the town’s motto (“The Height of Happiness”), the article noted Highland’s growing year-round appeal, its shops and vibrant arts community, and the abounding outdoor activity in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The coverage included Cashiers, in an “Up the Road” sidebar, where the historic High Hampton resort is poised to reopen in April after an extensive renovation by the team from Tennessee’s Blackberry Farm. The print publication reaches 1.38 million readers. |
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N.C. Film Office's Gaster offers film industry update Last week, N.C. Film Office Director Guy Gaster joined the Wilmington Regional Film Commission’s Johnny Griffin as part of the Wilmington Business Journal’s weekly vlog series “Wilmington Biz Talk.” Hosted by WBJ Editor Vicky Janowski, Gaster and Griffin discussed the upswing in productions in the Wilmington Region as well as across the state. The discussion addressed how COVID-19 has had an impact on production, as well as offered some insight into how the industry may continue to move forward Click here to watch the 30-minute discussion. |
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Research shows overall optimism, feeling of safety increasing |
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The increased optimism is evident in Americans’ feelings towards travel. The rate of excitement about travel this year is up from last week and travelers have set another pandemic record in terms of their openness to travel inspiration hitting 6.5 on the 11-point scale. Americans are expressing an increasing sense of safety, and even a majority of travelers say they no longer feel unsafe traveling in taxis, visiting indoor attractions, dining in restaurants, shopping, flying in airplanes, and staying in hotels. More than 40 percent are confident they can travel safely in the current environment, up almost 5 percentage points from last week and 17 points since early January. |
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Nearly two-thirds of American travelers report that they have either already been vaccinated or plan to be vaccinated, and 43 percent say they have begun planning future travel in anticipation of being vaccinated. In the last week, 34 percent say they day-dreamed about taking a leisure trip and 30 percent researched travel ideas online. When asked which domestic destinations travelers most want to visit this year, North Carolina had 3 percent of respondents. |
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Visit NC will be providing frequent research updates through Newslink with links to available studies. |
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N.C. hotels, restaurants sparkle with AAA Diamonds AAA has announced its 2021 Five and Four Diamond Award winners for Hotels and Restaurants. In North Carolina, Five Diamond Hotels are The Umstead Hotel in Cary and The Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte. In North Carolina, Five Diamond Restaurants are Heron's in Cary and the Fearrington House Restaurant in Pittsboro. Four Diamond Hotels include Asheville's 1889 WhiteGate Inn & Cottage, 1900 Inn on Montford, Abbington Green Bed & Breakfast, Albemarle Inn, Biltmore Village Inn, Grand Bohemian Hotel Asheville, Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park, Kimpton Inn Arras, The Inn on Biltmore Estate, and The Omni Grove Park Inn; Cashier's Innisfree Inn By-The-Lake; Chapel Hill's The Carolina Inn and The Siena Hotel; Charlotte's Marriott SouthPark, Grand Bohemian Hotel Charlotte, Kimpton Tryon Park, Omni Charlotte, The Ballantyne, The Ivey’s, and The Duke Mansion Historic Inn & Meeting Place; Duck's Sanderling Resort; Durham's 21c Museum Hotel, Arrowhead Inn Bed & Breakfast and The Washington Duke Inn; Greensboro's Grandover Resort, O. Henry Hotel and Proximity Hotel; Pinehurst's The Carolina Hotel and The Holly Inn; Wilmington's Graystone Inn and The Verandas; and Winston-Salem's Kimpton Cardinal Hotel. Four Diamond Restaurants include Asheville's Vue 1913; Boone's Gamekeeper Restaurant & Bar; Chapel Hill's Crossroads Chapel Hill and Il Palio Ristorante; Charlotte's McNinch House; Duck's Kimball's Kitchen; Durham's Fairview Dining Room; Gibsonville's Saint Jacques at the Burke Manor; Kinston's Chef and The Farmer; Pinehurst's 1895 Grille; Raleigh's Second Empire Restaurant & Tavern; and Wilmington's Manna. |
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Get help planning National Travel & Tourism Week with toolkit This year's National Travel & Tourism Week, May 2-8, has the theme "The Power of Travel." 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 5, is Travel Rally Day. U.S. Travel Association offers a toolkit, with resources such as a NTTW Fact Sheet and NTTW Talking Points. U.S. Travel offers suggestions on many ways to get involved in NTTW with U.S. Travel. Partners can record a short video message to have the chance to be included as a chorus of voices at the end of US Travel's NTTW promo video to show the strength of the industry. (The deadline to submit all video messages is March 31.) |
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Greensboro included in ‘America’s Top Destinations for Outdoor Art' In its “Feast Your Eyes on America’s Top Destinations for Outdoor Art,” Men’s Journal included Greensboro. Of the selection, the article noted, “Greensboro is home to more than 160 murals and outdoor pieces completed by local and internationally renowned artists. The recently completed Selfie Walls are particularly popular on Instagram and feature portraits of celebrities ranging from Billie Eilish and Elon Musk to Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. From towering brick facades to bridges and crosswalks, any surface is fair game for these stunning displays.” |
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‘North Carolina Weekend’
For the week of March 18, "North Carolina Weekend" repeats the “Back to Nature” episode that originally aired Jan. 21. Featured segments include the Duke Lemur Center in Durham; Nags Head Woods Nature Preserve in Kill Devil Hills; Western North Carolina Nature Center in Asheville; Grandfather Mountain in Linville; and the N.C. Bee Exchange in Albemarle. (Check local listings for schedule; segments are subject to change.) "North Carolina Weekend" is underwritten by Visit North Carolina. In addition, PBS North Carolina (formerly UNC-TV) has recent editions of "North Carolina Weekend" available online. |
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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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NewsLink is a publication of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina 150 Fayetteville St., Suite 1200, Raleigh, NC 27601 |
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