| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | May 22, 2019 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE:
* TRAC coming to Wayne County and region June 6
* N.C. Welcome Center staff tours Lexington
* NCDOT launches Ocracoke Express passenger ferry
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 | | | A previous TRAC in Hertford |
TRAC coming to Wayne County and region June 6
On June 6, tourism-related businesses in Goldsboro and Wayne County - plus 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 held 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Arts Council of Wayne County, 102 N. John St. in Goldsboro. There is no charge to attend, no reservation is required, and there is no PowerPoint presentation. This is a come-when-you-can/stay-as-long-as-you-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. |
Regional Trails group learns about Visit NC
Last week, Visit NC's Andre Nabors presented at a Regional Trails Workshop in Boone. He discussed Visit NC's marketing efforts to promote travel to and within the state. Workshop attendees were from across the region, including Tennessee and South Carolina. The group learned about and discussed the impact of recreation and heritage trails. |
| | Welcome Center staff with Danny "Chocolate" Myers (center back)) at RCR Museum | |
N.C. Welcome Center staff tours Lexington
The Lexington TA hosted N.C. Welcome Center staff for a productive informative study tour (familiarization trip). The group toured Richard Childress Racing Museum, The Barbecue Center, Conrad & Hinkle Food Market, Weathervane Winery, Junius Lindsay Vineyards, and Childress Vineyards, in addition to visiting several area shops. Travel entity partners such as a CVB, TDA or chamber interested in hosting Welcome Center staff to provide them with first-hand knowledge of their destinations should contact Wally Wazan at (919) 814-4649 for more information. |
| | | (photo courtesy NCDOT-NC 12 Twitter) |
NCDOT launches Ocracoke Express passenger ferry
People traveling between Hatteras and Ocracoke Village now have a new travel option. In addition to the vehicle ferries that already serve the popular route, visitors now have the Ocracoke Express passenger-only ferry as an option; the Ocracoke Express passenger ferry runs between the Hatteras ferry terminal and Ocracoke Silver Lake terminal. The seasonal passenger ferry service will run seven days a week through Sept. 5. An initial cost of $1 each way begins today (Wednesday); currently, no reservations are required. Parking is available at the Hatteras terminal on a first come-first served basis; in addition, there are a limited number of overnight parking spaces, too. For complete ferry schedules, routes, pricing and reservations, click here. |
Nearly 43 million Americans will kick off the season with a Memorial Day vacation Nearly 43 million Americans will start their summers on a high note with a Memorial Day weekend getaway. This long holiday weekend, marking the unofficial start of summer vacation season, will see the second-highest travel volume on record since AAA began tracking holiday travel volumes dating back to 2000, trailing only the bar set in 2005. Overall, an additional 1.5 million more people will take to the nation's roads, rails and runways compared with last year, a 3.6 percent increase. The vast majority of travelers - 37.6 million - will hit the road, the most on record for the holiday. The Memorial Day holiday travel period is defined as the five-day period from Thursday, May 23, to Monday, May 27. |
Transylvania County TDA introduces new waterfall safety PSA
With peak tourism season approaching, Transylvania County TDA is taking extra steps to remind visitors of the dangers that can come with the beauty of waterfalls with a new waterfall safety PSA. The film was produced as part of the TDA's sustainability initiative, known as "Transylvania Always," of which WaterSafety.com is a part. The TDA worked alongside Pisgah National Forest, DuPont State Recreational Forest, Gorges State Park, Transylvania County Emergency Management Services and Mission Health to establish a short list of safety tips highlighted in the film. Transylvania County TDA/Explore Brevard has the PSA plus safety tips, including a downloadable safety poster, on a dedicated "Waterfall Safety" webpage. |
Vote for Carowinds' sites among Best Amusement Parks
Carowinds has several of its aspects among the nominees for the 10Best's Readers' Choice Awards regarding the best amusement and water parks. Online voting by readers is now open via USAToday.com's website; click on the hyperlink to vote. Voting ends June 17 at noon. Best Roller Coaster - Fury 325, Carowinds |
'I Went to Raleigh for Four Days and Ate at Boulted Bread Four Times' Last week, Bon Appétit's "Highly Recommended" online column touted "I Went To Raleigh for Four Days and Ate at Boulted Bread Four Times." The writer explained, "I recently spent four days in Raleigh, NC, and during my stay, I ate at least one baked good from Boulted Bread on each of those days. (At my most severe, it was four pastries and a loaf in a single 24-hour period.) Three days into my relationship with the bakery, I was sitting on its small, sun-lit patio, staring at a loaf of levain, earnestly whispering, "I love you," to the soft webs of tangy sourdough spreading from crust to perfectly crunchy crust." |
What really is recyclable?
In almost every consumer research study on sustainable tourism, recycling is consistently the most popular gre en practice which visitors report they expect to see at attractions and accommodations. In PGAV Destination's "Survival of the Greenest" study researchers found 87.9 percent of travelers expect to see recycling bins at green attractions. But does a business and its staff know what their local recycling hauler will collect? For example, in some communities where paper and cardboard are collected for recycling, pizza boxes and phone books are not accepted. Plastic beverage bottles can be recycled by most recycling companies, but plastic bags need to be taken to retail stores that recycle them. It is important to remember that just because a product has a recycling symbol on the packaging, that does not necessarily mean that it is recyclable in a particular community. The best way to find out what can be collected by an area's recycling vendor is to contact them directly. If you do not know who your recycling hauler is, or would like to find one, contact your local waste reduction specialist. You may also search for a recycling services provider on the N.C. Recycling Markets Directory. For more information on recycling at attractions, accommodations and other tourism sites, or for more information about sustainable tourism, contact NC GreenTravel Initiative Program Manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140. |
| | For the week of May 23 on "North Carolina Weekend," the program repeats the episode that originally aired March 27. Segments feature New Bern and The Jarvis at 220 in New Bern, plus the "House Special" at Persimmons in New Bern. (Check local listings; segments are subject to change.) "North Carolina Weekend" is underwritten by Visit North Carolina. In addition, UNC-TV has recent editions of "North Carolina Weekend" available online. | In 2018, approximately 51 million person-trips were taken in North Carolina and the state ranked #6 in the U.S. in terms of domestic visitation. For more North Carolina visitor information, visit the Visitor Profile Studies or contact Visit NC's Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748. |
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Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events
May 19-20 - MPI-CC Annual Meeting, Asheville May 30 - Blue Ridge Parkway Assn. Annual Meeting, Asheville June 1-5 - IPW, Anaheim, Calif. June 3 - NC Sports Assn. Quarterly Meeting, Kitty Hawk June 6 - Visit NC TRAC, Goldsboro July 18 - MPI-CC Meeting, North Charleston, S.C. July 20-22 - AENC Annual Meeting, Charlotte |
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