| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | May 17, 2017 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE:
* TRAC coming to Granville County region tomorrow * Visit NC offers 'Faces of Travel' for NTTW
* More people to travel this Memorial Day
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 | | | A previous TRAC in Marion |
TRAC coming to Granville County tomorrow
Tomorrow (Thursday), tourism-related businesses in the Granville County regional area - 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. TRAC will be 10 am - 2 pm at Cedar Creek Gallery, located at 1150 Fleming Road in Creedmoor.
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 Andre Nabors at (919) 447-7771. |
| | | Hayes Norris offers one video |
Visit NC offers 'Faces of Travel' for NTTW
This year's National Travel and Tourism Week was all about celebrating the power of travel, and particularly the people who make the travel and hospitality industry remarkable. The theme this year was "Faces of Travel," so to get in the spirit, Visit NC highlighted some of its own "Faces of Travel." Check out some of the videos on Visit NC's industry Facebook page here. |
Mitchell County learns about Visit NC during NTTW
Visit NC's Mark Shore spoke at Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce's annual National Travel & Tourism Week luncheon last week. He spoke about the impact that tourism has on the state. The presentation also gave insights on promoting social media posts about things to see and do in Mitchell County, and the importance of Yelp and TripAdvisor listings for potential visitors. |
 More people to travel this Memorial Day
More people will get away this Memorial Day weekend than have in the past 12 years, with 39.3 million U.S. travelers expected to take to the road, skies, rails and water, according to a forecast released today (Wednesday) from AAA. That represents an increase of 1 million more travelers - 2.7 percent - this year than last Memorial Day weekend. It represents the third consecutive year that U.S. travelers have been on the move for 50 miles or more over this holiday weekend. Most of the travelers - 88.1 percent or 34.6 million - will drive to their destinations. That is an increase of 2.4 percent over last year despite higher gas prices. Most U.S. drivers will pay the highest Memorial Day gas prices since 2015. AAA defines the Memorial Day weekend as extending from Thursday, May 25, to Monday, May 29. |
| | | Group enjoying the Climbers (photo courtesy GCM) |
Greensboro Children's Museum unveils new expansion
After seven months of construction, the Greensboro Children's Museum opened its new exhibits this past weekend. "This is the first phase of our expansion," said Althea Hall, with Greensboro Children's Museum. Hall said the first phase of the expansion includes a new Outdoor Play Plaza, enhancements to the museum's lobby and an outdoor classroom. "We have two Neptune XXXL Climbers. They're 25,000 feet tall and they are the only ones in the United States," said Hall. "When you get to climb to the top, you'll see all of Downtown Greensboro." Construction on Phase 2 of the expansion at the Greensboro Children's Museum starts later this year. Phase 2 includes an indoor water feature and a technology exhibit. |
 NC among top 10 states for craft breweries
If you like to taste a wide variety of beers, North Carolina is a great place to live, according to the Charlotte Business Journal. With 205 craft breweries, the Tar Heel State ranks No. 10 among US states, according to a new report by Datafiniti, a Texas-based online intelligent web data provider. In addition, North Carolina ranked #20 among States with the Most Breweries Per Person, with 2.0 breweries per 100,000 residents. Asheville was #4 among Cities with the Most Breweries Per Person, with 8.8 breweries per 100,000 residents; Asheville is the only city in the South on the list. |
 Insectarium, Biltmore highlighted in travel stories
The Museum of Life + Science's Insectarium in Durham is among USA Today's suggestions to "Bug out at these hands-on insect zoos and museums." Of Insectarium, the article noted, "Some visitors might want to put their hands over their head when wandering through the open-air exhibit of giant orb weaver spiders. 'They're very impressive,' [said entomologist Gene} White. Other attractions include daily insect feedings and a caterpillar 'munch cam.'" Biltmore is included in "Castles you can find across the USA." Of Biltmore, which also had the "cover photo," the photo gallery noted, "Biltmore Estate (Asheville, N.C.): The Biltmore Estate is a famous Gilded Age estate built by George Washington Vanderbilt. It was completed in 1895 and remains the largest privately owned house in the United States. The mansion was originally meant to serve as a summer home. Feeling the effects of the Great Depression, George's daughter Cornelia opened the house to the public in 1930, only briefly closing it during WWII. It continues to operate as a museum and sees over one million visitors a year." |
 Larkin named executive director for DSBG
Patrick Larkin has been named the new executive director of Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, and he started this week. He may be contacted at (704) 825-4490 or via larkin@dsbg.org. |
Surveys, Industry, Marketing & Travel Trends
Vacation rental managers don't have the tools to scale hospitality- While the majority of vacation rental managers are most concerned with getting bookings, they're also increasingly concerned with the quality of the overall guest experience, too, reports Skift. Realizing that in order to get more repeat and direct business, it's beneficial to offer services like pre-arrival grocery delivery, concierge services, or tours and activities for guests, they're also finding it to be a logistical challenge, however. According to a new report, 84 percent of vacation rental managers surveyed said they want to offer hospitality-driven services that aren't yet available in their current software suites. A representative with Hostfully, which conducted the survey, noted that, in their efforts to get more guests to book direct than to book on platforms like HomeAway, VRBO, or Airbnb, vacation rental managers are also looking at adding more hospitality to the guest experience as a way to get more direct bookings the next time around. Why meetings within meetings matter for large events- The festivalization of meetings and events, whereby multiple activities from a variety of fields are programmed to take place over several days, has created a new meetings and events trend: purposeful sub-group meetings, according to Skift. One meeting expert sees more roundtables and intentionally designed networking at meetings and events these days, and organizers are arranging groups and conversations around predetermined challenges for discussion. Just as Twitter users curate specific follow lists or how Facebook users dictate which posts different individuals can see, attendees often find value when event planners segment their experiences at conferences. When it comes to breakfast, hotels strive for fresh, fast and cost effective - There is increasing pressure on hotels to provide impeccable service and offer more options at breakfast, according to hotel operators and brand managers, reports Hotel Management. And for good reason: breakfast is not just the most important meal of the day from a nutrition perspective, for hoteliers it's seen as the final touchpoint with guests before they check out. A representative with Wyndham Hotel Group's Travelodge Hotels, said over time there has been a tendency for economy brands to keep up with midscale segment breakfasts. "We've added so much to the continental breakfast that it becomes cost prohibitive to the owner and we find guests are not eating all of it." Therefore, Travelodge is considering the possibility of streamlining its breakfast - offering two cereals instead of three, for instance, to control costs and potentially accommodate a grab-and-go option. Healthy starter options are a continuing guest expectation, according to hoteliers who offer self-serve breakfast. When you offer healthy options, guests feel like they have control over what they're eating, said rep with Concord Hospitality hotel group. Guests can now build their own yogurt parfaits with fresh granola and Greek yogurt, which is in almost every brand now. |
NC tourism businesses going green; saving green
Almost 200 tourism-oriented businesses in North Carolina have been recognized for their environmental sustainability through the NC GreenTravel Initiative. Hotels, restaurants, breweries, wineries, attractions, farms and others have found that going green can pay off in many ways. For instance, Hampton Inn and Suites in Swansboro developed a great energy conservation program, helping to save lots of money on energy bills. Bull City Burger and Brewery in Durham is doing a fantastic job with waste source-reduction methods, helping to save on waste handling costs. Even airports, are taking off with successful sustainability programs. Fayetteville Regional Airport, which has a comprehensive environmental program, helping to save money, has received the Sustainable Sandhills Green Business Certification as well as NC GreenTravel Initiative Recognition. Establishing a triple bottom line accounting framework is essential to making sure tourism businesses consider their financial, environmental and social responsibilities. It helps businesses evaluate their performance in a broader perspective, creating greater business value. For information about how businesses can work toward sustainability, contact the NC GreenTravel Initiative at (919) 707-8140. For more information about NC GreenTravel, 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 May 18, get rollin' at Topsail Beach Skate Rink in Topsail Beach. Explore a day of Adventure in Rockingham County. Enjoy the NC Black Bear Festival in Plymouth. Talk to the animals at Winterpast Farm in Wake Forest. And the "House Special" samples the fare at Crooks Corner in Chapel Hill. (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. | Visitors from Europe tend to spend a larger proportion of their travel budgets on dining, while visitors from South America, Mexico and Asia spend more in supermarkets, indicating that they may be cooking in their places of lodging rather than eating in restaurants. Nearly 20 percent of spending by Venezuelan visitors is in supermarkets, while only 5 percent is spent in restaurants. For more North Carolina visitor information, visit Visitor Profile Studies, or contact Tourism Research Director |
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Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events
May 18 - Visit NC TRAC, Granville County May 24 - High Country Host Annual Meeting, Linville June 2 - NC Sports Assn. Meeting, Wilmington June 3-7 - US Travel Assn's IPW, Washington, DC June 6 - HSMAI-NC Meeting, Charlotte/Raleigh June 15 - NC Coast Host Annual Meeting, Kenansville July 20 - Visit NC TRAC, Mount Airy July 23-24 - AENC Annual Meeting, Winston-Salem July 27-28 - MPI-CC Meeting, Winston-Salem |
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