| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | March 28, 2018 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE:
* Visit NC seeking equestrian stories, history, businesses
* Visit NC and partners promote tourism to legislators in D.C.
* TRAC coming to Haywood, Madison counties April 11-12 |
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Visit NC seeking equestrian stories, history, businesses
The global equestrian community will have its eyes on North Carolina Sept 11-23 as Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring hosts the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games. More than 500,000 visitors will attend ticketed events in eight disciplines. This is an opportunity for Visit NC to tell North Carolina's stories, especially the stories focused on its rich equestrian history, annual events and even highlight the state's equine-related businesses. And Visit NC needs your help. Please click here to tell Visit NC about your equestrian facilities, equine history including photos, and any horse-related businesses. There are three tabs along the bottom (Facilities, History and Businesses) to help partners organize their details according to the appropriate tab. Visit NC is also working to coordinate a master sponsorship agreement with TIEC for the 2018 FEI WEG. This event falls in Visit NC's 2018-2019 fiscal year so plans are still tentative; the desire is to share parts of the master sponsorship agreement by creating four levels of co-op sponsorships so that partners could participate with Visit NC. To learn more, click here. |
| | | (l-r) Dennis Edwards, Mike Butts, Rep. Robert Pittenger & Wit Tuttell |
Visit NC and partners promote tourism to legislators in D.C. Visit NC's Wit Tuttell, Greater Raleigh CVB's Dennis Edwards and Visit Charlotte's Mike Butts joined travel leaders from more than 45 states at the US Travel Association's Destination Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., last week. The event brought travel leaders from across the country to Washington to educate policymakers about the power of travel. The program combined a legislative day on Capitol Hill with advocacy training, guest speakers and peer-to-peer networking. Tuttell, Edwards and Butts presented information to the entire N.C. legislative delegation. Destination Capitol Hill delegates conducted more than 300 congressional meetings during the event. |
| | | A previous TRAC in Fayetteville | |
TRAC coming to Haywood, Madison counties April 11-12
Next month, tourism-related businesses in Haywood and Madison counties - including the surrounding counties - will have an opportunity to work with Visit North Carolina staff to learn about its research, development and marketing services, and discuss best practices in reaching travelers, the media and increasing tourism visitation and spending. Visit North Carolina's Tourism Resource Assistance Center (TRAC) is a community-based training program designed to help small tourism-related businesses. On April 11, TRAC, will be held at Lake Junaluska's Harrell Center Auditorium located at 710 N. Lakeshore Drive in Lake Junaluska. On April 12, TRAC will be held in the Mars Hill University Ferguson Health Sciences Center at 211 Cascade Street in Mars Hill. There is no charge to attend, no reservation is required, and there are no PowerPoint presentations. This is a come-when-you-can/stay-as-long-as-you'd-like event opportunity for all tourism-related businesses to meet one-on-one with program managers to discuss better ways to promote their property or event. TRAC brings Visit North Carolina's program managers to local communities to discuss the nuts and bolts of working with the organization. This invaluable program is designed to help tourism-related businesses engage more fully with programs offered by Visit North Carolina and its partners.
Representatives from the EDPNC's BLNC, N.C. Welcome Centers/Visitor Services, N.C. State Parks, Agritourism, and NC GreenTravel are often on hand to discuss services they can provide businesses, including strategic planning, assisting with identifying funding sources and serving as liaisons with other local, state and federal agencies. For additional information on this session or to learn more about scheduling a TRAC visit to your community, contact André Nabors at (919) 447-7771. |
Services today for I-77 North NC Welcome Center manager McKeaver
Chris McKeaver, manager for the I-77 North NC Welcome Center, died unexpectedly this past Sunday. Visitation is today (Wednesday) 12:30 - 2 pm with the funeral service following at 2 pm at Moody-Davis Funeral Services, 215 W. Kapp St. in Dobson. In lieu of flowers, an account has been set up at the State Employees' Credit Union for the Sydney and Carrie McKeaver College Fund. Donations may be made at any branch. Read the obituary here. |
A Chef's Life nominated for three Daytime Emmys
A Chef's Life has been nominated for three Daytime Emmy Awards. The program, which airs on PBS, was nominated for Outstanding Culinary Program and Outstanding Directing in a Single Camera Lifestyle/Culinary/Travel or Educational and Informational Program. Vivian Howard was nominated for Outstanding Culinary Host. The 45th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be presented on April 29. |
Diners, Drive-ins & Dives features Wilmington sites
The Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins & Dives is featuring several Wilmington restaurants in upcoming episodes, according to the Wilmington Star-News. This week's episode, "Lights Out Latin" and set to air this Friday, is slated to highlight Latin specialties and will visit Ceviche's. The April 6 episode, "Pizza, Pork and Peru," is likely to showcase Copper Penny. And "Seafood and Savory," set to air April 27, may spotlight Something Fishy. Host Guy Fieri filmed segments for his show in January, where he also visited Wilmington restaurants Sweet n Savory Cafe, Cast Iron Kitchen, and Fork N Cork, although it's unsure when these sites may be featured on the show. |
 Unscripted among '10 roadside motels you'll actually want to stay in'
The Travel Channel included Unscripted in Durham among its "10 Roadside Motels You'll Actually Want to Stay in on Your Next Road Trip." Visit NC's PR team shared the media lead with the Durham CVB, which delivered the winning pitch. Of Unscripted, the article said, "A former 1960s motor lodge in North Carolina, the Jack Tar Motor Lodge received new life in mid-2017 as Unscripted Durham, a 74-room boutique hotel with a midcentury modern vibe, a swanky rooftop pool and a retro poolside lounge. Guest rooms boast sleek designs with pops of bright colors, like teal and pumpkin. Playful accents, like 'Hang Out' mats, welcome guests at check-in. A mixed-use coffee bar gives guests a place to grab a bite or simply relax in between meetings, while The Studio serves as a 'rec room' for socializing and drawing inspiration." |
Tail of the Dragon among '10 surprising, spooky and inspiring American road trips'
Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap is among USA Today's "10 surprising, spooky and inspiring American road trips." Of the stretch of road in North Carolina and Tennessee, the article noted, "A favorite of motorcyclists, this Smoky Mountains route attracts riders from across the country as it dips and snakes through 318 curves in just 11 miles, rising and falling over 1,200 feet of elevation along the way. [The article's source] calls it a rider's road because it doesn't' have intersections. 'It's tight, twisty and challenging, a rare treat.'" In addition, the online article included the 40-picture photo gallery "Tail of the Dragon, 'the best ride in North America.'" |
 April offers the "Secret life of spring' The April issue of Our State magazine offers the "Secret Life of Spring," with a photo essay spotlighting caretakers of the coast, plus articles on flowers, rain and other wonders of nature. "Downtown" visits Wilson; "Restaurant" features Lulu's on Main in Sylva; and "Farm Tour" highlights Carolina Farmhouse Dairy in Bahama. It also contains a special pull-out insert that serves as a brewery guide, spotlighting N.C. craft beers and breweries - perfect for April's N.C. Beer Month. The April issue is available now. |
Festivals are saving energy, going greener With spring officially here, everyone should be looking forward to enjoying many of the great festivals in North Carolina. Festivals are one of the best traditions in the tourism industry. While festivals are a wonderful way to showcase and celebrate a community's heritage, they take a lot of effort to put on successfully. There are a lot of things every event manager or team can implement to help reduce the amount of electricity needed without having to enjoy the event in the dark. One way events can start saving energy that doesn't cost any additional money is to have a plan in place to make sure lights and equipment are turned off when not needed. Using best idling practices for shuttles will not only save energy but reduce local air pollution. Some festivals have taken steps to work with vendors to be more energy efficient as well by providing a maximum power draw per vendor or requiring energy efficient lighting. Some festivals are greening up their energy usage by using on-site renewable energy such as wind and solar power. To learn more about energy efficiency at festivals and events, download the Greening Festivals and Events tip sheet, and view the Greening Green Festivals video. For more information on renewable energy in tourism, contact NC GreenTravel Initiative manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140. |
| | For the week of March 29 on North Carolina Weekend, learn about the Penland School of Crafts in Penland. Enjoy the great outdoors at Raven Rock State Park in Lillington. Cater to a love for baseball at the N.C. Baseball Museum in Wilson. Lift a glass at White Elephant Beer Company in Mount Airy. And the "House Special" samples the fare at Persimmons Waterfront Restaurant in New Bern. (Please note listings are subject to change.) North Carolina Weekend is underwritten by Visit North Carolina. In addition, UNC-TV has made recent editions of North Carolina Weekendavailable online. | In 2016, international visitor spending in N.C. was nearly $1.2 billion. European visitors accounted for 33 percent of the total spending, Asians for 24 percent and Canadians for 20 percent. Latin Americans were accountable for approximately 13 percent of the total international spending in the state. For more North Carolina visitor information, visit Lodging Reports, or contact Tourism Research Director Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748. |
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Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events
April 11-12 - Visit NC's TRAC, Lake Junaluska (11), Mars Hill (12) April 23-26 - NASC Sports Event Symposium, Minneapolis, Minn. May 2-3 - BRPA Annual Meeting, Bedford, Va. May 8 -Visit NC Travel & Tourism Board Meeting, TBD May 16-17 - MPI-CC Meeting, Wilmington May 17 - NC Coast Host Quarterly Meeting, Emerald Isle May 19-23 - U.S. Travel Assn.'s IPW, Denver, Colo. |
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