| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | March 8, 2017 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE:
* Visit NC promotes travel to state during ITB * Keynote speaker Davis offers a preview for Visit NC 365
* TRAC in Montgomery County/Uwharrie region tomorrow
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Visit NC promotes travel to state during ITB
Visit NC's Heidi Walters is meeting with 40 key tour operators and journalists in one-on-one meetings at ITB in Berlin, Germany, this week. Walters is promoting North Carolina fly/drive tours, plus hotel and attraction product at ITB, the world's largest tourism show. The majority of German, Swiss and Austrian travelers still use tour operators and travel agents for their long-haul travel plans. All tour operators reported that the southern U.S. is still selling well in 2017. NC has two daily direct flights from Germany into Charlotte Douglas International Airport. In 2015, North Carolina welcomed nearly 90,000 visitors from German-speaking Europe, spending more than $31 million in the state. For more information on the Visit NC's international marketing, contact Heidi Walters at (919) 447-7762.
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Keynote speaker Davis offers a preview for Visit NC 365
It's less than two weeks from Visit NC 365 in Greenville and if you haven't already registered to attend this valuable conference, you should do so now. Visit NC has put together an amazing agenda featuring keynote speakers Luke Williams on innovation and Melissa Agnes on crisis communication, plus best-selling author Andrew Davis, who offers the sneak peak below (or click here). Davis will have two sessions. First, a breakout to help redefine the customer and guest experience. Then, he'll be on the big stage Tuesday morning with his keynote presentation " Stake Your Claim." These are among many of the reasons to be in Greenville March 19-21, plus there will be other beneficial breakout sessions (and likely s ome great barbecue, too). |
 TRAC in Montgomery County/Uwharrie region tomorrow
Tomorrow (Thursday), tourism-related businesses in the Montgomery County/Uwharrie region 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), a community-based training program designed to help small tourism-related businesses, will be held in Building 100, Room 104 at Montgomery Community College, 1011 Page St. in Troy. 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. Dept. of Commerce, N.C. Dept. of Natural & Cultural Resources and NC GreenTravel will also be 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. |
 | | | Kids having fun on the slopes |
Celebrating NC's ski slopes, Visit NC Twitter contest giving lift passes to popular ski resorts
In an effort to keep North Carolina's ski season top-most in the minds of potential travelers, and also to celebrate the North Carolina slopes, the @VisitNC Twitter account is hosting a contest to give away passes today (Wednesday) and March 14. To be entered to win, followers must correctly guess the name of the ski resort based on a heavily pixilated photo. The contests will run 9:30 am - 8 pm on the selected days, with the winner to be randomly drawn from the users who correctly answer the name of the resort. As part of the contest, @VisitNC will also promote North Carolina winter sports and creative weekend vacations to the mountains featured on VisitNC.com. |
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RetireNC promoted in D.C. region
Visit NC's André Nabors, along with partners from Sanford, Reidsville, Edenton and New Bern, promoted North Carolina as a retirement destination at the Ideal-Living Resort & Retirement Expo in Tysons Corner, Va., this past weekend. The Expo drew more than 1,100 potential retirees from the region who were interested in exploring opportunities and conversing with exhibitors from across the Southeast. Attendees talked with experts from towns and community developers to gain insights and get answers to help plan, design and enjoy their retirement. North Carolina has consistently been one of the most requested states by the attendees. Visit North Carolina attended the Expo to continue its efforts to promote the N.C. Certified Retirement Community Program, which consists of Asheboro, Eden, Edenton, Laurinburg, Lenoir, Lumberton, Marion, Mount Airy, New Bern, Pittsboro, Reidsville, Sanford, Tarboro and Winterville. For more information about the Certified Retirement Community Program or Visit North Carolina's marketing initiatives for retirement relocation, contact Andre Nabors at (919) 447-7771. |
 N.C.-filmed Abundant Acreage Available will premiere at Tribeca Film Festival
Abundant Acreage Available, a drama that was filmed in East Bend, will have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, festival organizers announced last week. The movie was written and directed by Angus MacLachlan, who is an alumnus of the UNC School of the Arts. The 2017 Tribeca Film Festival runs April 19 - 30 in New York. |
 Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains among top national park visitation lists
The National Park Service celebrated its centennial anniversary last year and new numbers show that more people visited America's national park sites in 2016 than ever before. The park service's sites around the country hosted a record-breaking 330.9 million visits, according to NPS data released last month. The Blue Ridge Parkway took the #2 spot and Great Smoky Mountains National Park placed #3 in the National Park Service's list of the 10 most visited sites in the park system, which includes the national parks as well as historic sites, lakeshores, seashores and more. Great Smoky Mountains National Park was the most popular of the 59 sites officially called national parks. Cape Hatteras National Seashore was #4 in the most visited national seashores. View the complete annual rankings, including a breakdown by categories of park types, start here. |
 MAPL volleyball returns to Raleigh area this weekend
The Mid-Atlantic Power League volleyball tournament is returning to Raleigh this weekend with the tournament at two sites, one in Raleigh and one in Morrisville. According to the Greater Raleigh CVB, the tournament is bringing 168 teams and their families from up and down the East Coast and also attracting college coaches for recruiting purposes. The event is projected to bring 5,000 total visitors and generate more than 2,000 hotel room-nights, with visitor spending estimated at $815,000. |
 Brand USA launches new consumer campaign & websiteBrand USA, the destination-marketing organization for the United States, has unveiled a new consumer campaign and website, http://www.gousa.in/, as the organisation works to increase inbound tourism to the United States. Through this new interactive campaign, "See How Far You Can Go," Brand USA illustrates the diversity of the United States and invites travellers to share their own unique experiences. The 'See How Far You Can Go' consumer campaign spans a variety of advertising and media platforms including, online videos, out-of-home signage, high impact online display ads, and social media posts that will drive awareness of the new campaign and inspire visitation to the USA. The campaign launches with an innovative social-first approach, concentrating on shareable and relatable imagery and video content whose first person viewpoint will draw consumers into the frame and make them feel like they could have captured the shots themselves. Music will also play a significant role in the new campaign, with music tracks tailored to individual personas and reflective of sounds distinct to the USA |
Surveys, Industry, Marketing & Travel Trends
What hotels think millennial travelers want - Hotels have long been falling at the feet of millennials - that tech-savvy, experience-driven, pleasure-seeking demographic - creating new brands and installing modern amenities entirely for a younger set of travelers. Fast and furious Wi-Fi? Check. Texting with the front desk? Using a smartphone to open the door? Buzzing lobby scene with craft cocktails and local artwork on the walls? Check, check, check. We get it, says Conde Nast Traveler. Now, some hotels have set their sights on millennial business travelers, who actually want to take work trips (so says 61 percent of U.S. millennials polled last year by MMGY Global) and enjoy their time away from the daily grind. But in their eagerness to capture the MBT, hotels still might be trying a little too hard. The online article offers a look at the good, the bad, and the overkill - all the amenities hotels have rolled out lately to impress twentysomething road warriors. 7 winning strategies to increase sponsorship value & attractiveness - When they think of sponsorship, a lot of folks immediately think of sports, notes Sports Planning Guide. And why not? After all, sponsorship is no more at home than at a stadium, ballpark or arena. And just like sports, sponsorship is indeed a contact sport! You've got to be in front of your prospects, and you want to stay connected to them all year long. Not just before or at your event, and certainly not just when you're looking to sell them a renewal, but all year long. Why? Because you're definitely not the only group out there looking to secure corporate underwriting. They don't lack alternatives to investing their marketing, advertising and promotional budgets. So you have to be disciplined, dedicated and prepared to demonstrate exactly why your event, tournament or race is the place for them to spend their marketing dollars. One of the best ways SPG has found to do this is what it calls "Sponsorship 365." The concept is simple: Offer sponsorships that run longer than just a single event, program or season. So SPG offers its seven best strategies for extending your sponsorship offerings beyond your event or season. Mattress makeovers: Hotels don't skimp on sleep - When it comes to hotel room mattresses, designers are considering much more than how soft or firm they are, reports USA Today. These days, they are examining products with pocketed coils, cooling gel foam, memory foam, and moisture-wick fabrics that protect the mattress. They are deciding on height, shape and size. They are testing out a variety of toppers, covers and protectors. It's so important that Fairmont Hotels and Resorts spent 18 months testing out mattresses, which typically last seven to 10 years. "Realistically, it's the one part of room that gets used the most during the guest's stay," said a Fairmont representative. "It has the most potential to have an upside and potential to have a downside if we don't get it right." Millennials 2.0: Gen Z seeks seamless tech, casual vibe - When it comes to hotel amenities, Generation Z wants it all, according to Hotel News Now. They're looking for authentic experiences personalized to them, convenience, and at the same time, technology accommodations that mold to their lifestyle without feeling too over the top. The industry still has a lot to learn about the post-millennial generation, which is young and still finding its voice. But hotel design experts believe they have a good sense of what this generation is looking for, at least when it comes to the layout of a hotel.
Millennial sensibilities shape hotel food and beverage programs - It is no secret within the hotel industry that millennial travelers represent a crucial growth market, and this generation's sensibilities are shaping things like hotel design and technology, but they're heavily influencing hotel food and beverage programs as well, reports SmartBrief. For instance, to appeal to millennial travelers' desires for a connection to the local community, which often translates into a draw towards local and specialty foods, the Arlo hotel in New York stocks guest mini-bars with locally sourced, artisan products. Hotels are increasingly focusing on the unique experiences that their food and beverage offerings can provide, in addition to creating destinations that will attract both hotel guests and foot traffic. Some hotels are even becoming travel destinations in their own right, thanks to their restaurants that draw on the fame and food of local chefs, according to "10 Trends Changing the Face of the Hospitality Business You Need to Know About." |
Do travelers really care about going green?
When companies like Wal-Mart, Coca-Colaand Nikeall have sustainability initiatives, going green has definitely gone from niche to mainstream. Many major tourism and hospitality businesses have also integrated sustainability into their operations - including Marriott, Darden, and Xanterra Parks & Resorts. Global Stewards has published a list of ways for hotels to go green. However, the question remains: do travelers really care if their hotel or restaurant offers a recycling program or uses LED lighting? There are a number of surveys that would indicate travelers are conscious of their eco-travel footprint, from Trekksoft.com, Center for Responsible Travel and the National Restaurant Association. But there still are a number of questions about how implementing green practices influences travel consumer choices. For example, where do travelers want to learn about a tourism business' sustainability initiatives? Are some sustainable practices more likely to influence travelers' choices more than others? And do travelers care if a property admits to not being a perfect green steward? For more information about sustainable travel trends and how to develop a green destination, contact ECU Center for Sustainability Partnership Coordinator Kamara Jones at (252) 737-4312, or NC GreenTravel Initiative Manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140. |
| | On North Carolina Weekend for the week of March 9, "Collecting Carolina" visits the Catawba Valley Pottery and Antiques Festival in Hickory. Discover the Wilmington Craft Beer Scene via three of Wilmington's popular craft breweries. Step back in time at Brunswick Town and Fort Anderson Historic Site in Winnabow. Enjoy both great food and live music at Muddy Creek Cafe and Music Hall in Winston-Salem. And the "House Special" samples the fare at Virgil's Original Taqueria in Raleigh. (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, room demand (number of commercial room nights sold) was up more than 5 percent from 2015, the largest growth in six years. More than 35 million room nights were sold in 2016. Since 2006, room demand is up 22 percent. For more North Carolina lodging information, view the Lodging Reports, or contact Tourism Research Director Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748. |
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Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events
March 9 - Visit NC TRAC, Troy March 10-19 - South by Southwest Conference and Festivals, Austin, Texas March 12-15 - Travel South Showcase, Branson, Mo. March 14 - NC Sports Assn. Meeting, Charlotte March 16-17 - MPI-CC Meeting, Myrtle Beach, S.C. March 24-26 - Mountain-to-Sea Trail Annual Meeting, Elkin March 27-30 - NASC Sports Event Symposium, Sacramento, Calif. April 6 - MPI-CC Global Meetings Industry Day, Charlotte, Raleigh & Myrtle Beach April 6 - NC Coast Host Quarterly Meeting, Elizabethtown April 27 - Visit NC TRAC, Marion |
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