Weekly e-newsletter for Visit NC partners, May 11, 2022

IN THIS ISSUE:

* * Visit NC webinar tomorrow features

importance of Canadian visitors

* Opportunities available for 2023

in-person consumer travel shows

* N.C., RDU’s IcelandAir flight promoted

to international audiences

* Visit NC Hotelbeds campaign sees massive success

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Visit NC webinar tomorrow features importance of Canadian visitors

 

As part of its monthly webinar series, Visit NC, along with its Canadian office, is hosting “Insight into Canadian Travelers” tomorrow (Thursday) at 10 a.m. The webinar looks at Canadian travelers – what they are looking for in a travel destination, popular times for travel, how to reach them, and more. Historically, Canada represents the largest international spending market for N.C., with more than $38 million spent in 2020, even amid the pandemic. Spending in 2019 was $184 million, with an average spending per Canadian visitor of $453 per person. Spending by Canadian visitors is forecast to be back up to nearly 2019 levels this year and up to $214.1 million by 2025. Clickhere to pre-register.

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Opportunities available to partner with Visit NC at 2023 in-person consumer travel shows

 

Visit NC will be back to attending in-person consumer shows in 2023 and still has space for partners at four shows. These consumer shows offer additional promotional opportunities for Visit NC and its interested partners to engage with visitors actively looking for travel suggestions and information. The past shows saw traffic and attendance of nearly 20,000 consumers, travel agents, bloggers and travel writers. The 2023 consumer shows Visit NC is scheduled to attend are:

 

* Jan. 20-22 – AAA Travel Show in Pittsburgh, Penn. - 4 spots available

 

* Jan. 27-29 – Travel & Adventure Show in New York, N.Y. - 5 spots available (This show has replaced the NY Times Travel Show)

 

* Feb. 4-5 – Travel & Adventure Show in Washington, D.C. - 5 spots available

 

* Mar. 23-25 – Travel & Adventure Show in ATL. – 6 spots available

 

The cost to attend is $350 per partner for the AAA Travel Show; $850 per partner for the Travel & Adventure Shows. Visit NC is requiring 100 percent participation for “staffing” at each of the consumer travel shows. If you'd like to participate in any of these shows, contact Andre Nabors at (919) 447-7771.

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N.C., RDU’s IcelandAir flight promoted to international audiences

 

Visit North Carolina, in partnership with Travel South USA, launched a social Facebook Instant Experience to engage with international audiences featuring the new IcelandAir flight from Reykjavik, Iceland, to Raleigh-Durham International Airport. This interactive, omni-directional ad format is long-form content within the Facebook mobile app and allows for a combination of photos, videos and design elements to tell a comprehensive story. Instant Experiences immerse users in the platform and perform at low cost per results targeting France; Belgium; Luxembourg; The Netherlands; United Kingdom; Ireland; Nordic counties Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Norway; and Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The Travel South USA Global Pages have grown to 37 million impressions from July 2021 to April 2022, with close to 900,000 engagements of exclusively international travelers from the target countries in Europe, Canada, Brazil and Australia/New Zealand. For more information on Visit NC’s international marketing program, contactHeidi Waltersat (919) 447-7762.

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Visit NC Hotelbeds campaign sees massive success

 

For the last seven months, Visit NC has again worked through Travel South USA on a campaign to boost hotel reservations to the state via Hotelbeds.com. The campaign targeted Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, and U.S. visitors. The campaign produced 47,518 room nights, up 42 percentcompared to 2019! Canada had a 703 percent increase, with 5,648 room nights booked. U.S. domestic travel to N.C. also saw a 26 percent boost with 39,589 room nights. Hotelbeds is a leading bed bank and is the booking company for many loyalty programs in the U.S. and Canada. While international travel has been down since early 2020, North Carolina is seeing growing numbers of international travelers to the state in 2022. For more information on this and other Visit NC international campaigns, contact Heidi Walters at (919) 447-7762.

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NCBIWA, Highlands Chamber learn about Visit NC

 

Last week, Visit NC's Scott Peacock spoke during the N.C. Beach, Inlet & Waterway Association Spring Conference in Emerald Isle. He discussed Visit NC and its work. In addition, he highlighted Outdoor NC, noting Pender County’s participation in the program, and how the initiative drives sustainable tourism and helps encourage the protection of the state’s beaches, inlets and waterways.  To find out more about the NCBWIA, click here.

 

In a virtual event this week, Scott Peacock spoke to the Highlands Chamber of Commerce's “Leadership Highlands” Class of 2022. He discussed Visit NC and its various programs, including tourism research data and Outdoor NC.

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N.C.-filmed ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ debuts first trailer

 

The N.C.-filmed series “The Summer I Turned Pretty” has released its first trailer. Filming on the production took place last July to October in the greater Wilmington area. The production spending is estimated to have been more than $40 million. The inaugural season of the series is set to premiere June 17 on Amazon Prime Video. 

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Tuttell, other N.C. notables among ‘Power List’

 

Visit NC’s Wit Tuttell is among the Hospitality & Tourism leaders included in Business North Carolina’s Power List, the publication’s annual report on the state’s most influential leaders. DMO leaders Visit Raleigh's Denny Edwards, Visit Winston-Salem's Richard Geiger, Explore Asheville's Vic Isley, CRVA's Tom Murray, and Visit Greenville's Andrew Schmidt also were on the list. Rounding out the Hospitality & Tourism category:

 

Jose Armario - Bojangles

Leah Wong Ashburn - Highland Brewing

Bill Boddie - Boddie-Noell Enterprises

Bill Cecil, Jr. - Biltmore Co.

Jack Cecil - Biltmore Farms

Richard Chapman - Bogue Sound Distillery

Ashley Christensen - AC Restaurants

Jonathan Fussell - Duplin Winery

John Harris - Kitty Hawk Kites

Stephen Hill - Hill Realty. Mother Earth Brewing

Mohammad Jenatian - Greater Charlotte Hospitality & Tourism Alliance

Mark Laport - Concord Hospitality Enterprises

John McConnell - McConnell Golf

Lynn Minges – N.C. Restaurant & Lodging Assn.

Kathie Niven - Biscuitville

Doyle Parris - Summit Hospitality Group

Tom Pashley - Pinehurst Resort

Nayan Patel - CN Hotels

Jeremy Reavers - Cook Out

Richard Sneed - Eastern Band Cherokee Nation

Mike Tattersfield - Krispy Kreme

Lance Trenary - Golden Corral

Richard Vanore - Koury Corp.

Greg Walter - Charlotte Motor Speedway

Rebecca Whitmarsh - Northwood Hospitality

Robert Winston - Winston Hospitality

Jeff Wise - U.S. National Whitewater Center

 

In addition, the EDPNC’s Chris Chung was part of the Economic Development aspect of the list. To find out more, including to view the rest of the Power List, click here.

Research shows breakdown of workers vs. using PTO days

 

As the workforce expands, the share of employees gaining PTO days continues to increase, notes the U.S. Travel Assn. in its “Paid Time Off Trends in the U.S.report. Fifty-five percent of Americans are leaving PTO days unused. On average, Americans accrue 17.4 PTO days each year, while only using 9 of those days. In 2018, the average number of PTO days increased to 23.9, yet 27.2 percent of PTO days went unused. Why are American’s leaving PTO days unused? A trend on the rise is that an increased income earned resulted in more PTO days used. Americans earning $150,000 or more annually averaged 22.5 days used, with 3.1 left unused. Generational, industry, family and geographic trends are also examined.

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In 2018, more than 1.8 billion domestic trips were taken in the U.S., resulting in $650 billion in domestic spending and providing 5.5 million jobs related to the travel industry. If more Americans were utilizing more of their PTO days, the economic impact would result in an additional $151.5 billion in travel spending, creating the need for 2 million more American jobs.

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Visit NC will be providing frequent research updates through Newslink with links to available studies.
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Vote for N.C. towns among ‘Best of small towns’

 

North Carolina has several towns among the nominations for 10Best's Readers' Choice Awards categories for the “Best of Small Towns in the U.S.” Online voting by readers is now open via USAToday.com; click on the hyperlink to vote. Voting ends June 6 at noon.

 

Best Coastal Small TownNags Head; Southport

 

Best Small Town for ShoppingHighlands

 

Best Small Town for Adventure Beaufort; Boone

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Explore Boone’s ‘Got Awe’ campaign recognized with IAC award

 

Explore Boone and its marketing agency, Miles Partnership, was recognized with an “Outstanding Integrated Ad Campaign” award in the 2022 Internet Advertising Competition from the Web Marketing Association for its “Boone’s Got Awe” campaign. The award was presented in April to Explore Boone and Miles. The IAC Awards provide an opportunity to highlight the best online advertising in 97 industries and nine online formats, including online ad, video, mobile, newsletter, email, and social media.

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‘Exploring Ocracoke, on North Carolina’s Outer Banks’

 

In its Travel section last week, The Washington Post published “Exploring Ocracoke, on North Carolina’s Outer Banks.” The writer observed some of the island’s history, noting “The town’s quiet demeanor is deceptive; the island’s history is a page turner.” She visited the National Park Service’s penned wild horses, Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum and Ocracoke Lighthouse, plus other landmarks. In addition, she enjoyed birdwatching and shelling, including during a side-trip to Portsmouth Village.

‘North Carolina Weekend’


For the week of May 12, "North Carolina Weekend” offers “Beyond the Guidebook.” Featured segments include Snowbird Cherokee Fading Voices Festival in Robbinsville; Rofhiwa Book Café in Durham; Looking Glass Creamery in Columbus; Doc Rocks Summer Digs in Blowing Rock; and a profile of Wendell. (Check local listings for schedule; segments are subject to change.) "North Carolina Weekend" is underwritten by Visit North Carolina. In addition, PBS North Carolina has recent editions of "North Carolina Weekend" available online. 

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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