Weekly e-newsletter for Visit NC Partners - May 23, 2024
IN THIS ISSUE:
* Don't miss out on the 2025 NC Travel Guide; opportunities start at $500
* 2025 Travel & Adventure Shows’ participation is filling up fast
Don't miss out on the 2025 North Carolina Travel Guide; opportunities start at $500
Advertising opportunities starting as low as $500 are available for the 2025 North Carolina Travel Guide.
Next year’s guide will feature road trips, outdoor adventures (both urban and rural), multigenerational travel, and other key findings from Dotdash Meredith Travel Marketing's predictive travel insights for 2025. Outdoor NC, a primary Visit NC marketing strategy, will be addressed throughout the book. The guide will also focus on consumer behaviors, as tactics travelers can employ through the duration of planning and adventure, rather than subsects of travel audiences. In addition, the guide will include content tied to accessibility, highlighting ADA-accessible trails and destinations that offer experiences for those with sensory and physical limitations.
Advertising sales are available at an Early Bird discounted rate until July 31. View the 2025 N.C. Travel Guide Media Kit via here. For more information, contact Integrated Sales Manager-Travel Stacey Rosseter at (678) 571-7445.
2025 Travel & Adventure Shows’ participation is filling up fast
Visit NC is returning to three Travel & Adventure Shows in 2025 and still has space for partners to join. These consumer shows offer opportunities to promote North Carolina travel directly to interested potential visitors. Past shows brought nearly 20,000 attendees – including consumers, travel agents, bloggers and travel writers – that delivered solid traffic and valuable leads for partners. Strategically located in top U.S. feeder markets, the Travel & Adventure Shows are well attended consumer travel shows, potentially impacting thousands of travel decisions every year.
The 2025 Travel & Adventure Shows Visit NC is scheduled to attend are - Atlanta, January 11-12 – 4 spots still available
- New York City, January 25-26 – 4 spots still available
- Washington, DC, March 29-30 – 4 spots still available
To sign up for the Travel & Adventure Shows, contact André Nabors at (919) 447-7771.
Wilmington and Beaches CVB’s SHIP gets tourism, sports events updates
Visit NC’s Amanda Baker provided a comprehensive presentation at the Wilmington and Beaches CVB’s Sports and Hospitality Industry Partners (SHIP) meeting in Wrightsville Beach last week. The presentation encompassed an update on the state of the tourism industry, in addition to providing regional visitor information for those involved in sports events as either spectators or participants, including youth, amateur, collegiate and other categories.
Millie Barbee, longtime tourism champion, dies
Millie Barbee, former director for the Hickory Metro CVB and High Country Host, died las week. In addition to working with several entities, she chaired the NC Historical Commission, part of the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and worked with several historical associations. Barbee was recognized by NCTIA with its Bill Sharpe Award for Outstanding Service. Services for Barbee were held this past Saturday in Mount Airy. Memorial contributions may be made to White Plains Friends Meeting Cemetery Fund, 849 Old Hwy 601, Mount Airy, NC 27030 or Trinity Village, 1265 21st St NE, Hickory, NC 28601. Read the obituary
here.
Vote for NC sites among ‘Best places for desserts and treats’
North Carolina has three sites among the nominations for 10Best's Readers' Choice Awards categories for “Best places for desserts and treats.” Online voting by readers is now open via USAToday.com; click on the hyperlink to vote. Voting ends at noon onJune 10.
Travel + Leisure included the Outer Banks among its “22 Best Family Vacations in the U.S. That Are Perfect for Everyone – From Toddlers to Teens.” Of the inclusion, the article noted, in part, "Planning an epic family escape to the barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina is pretty foolproof. That’s because the area overflows with kid-friendly offerings, from water parks and pirate-themed mini golf to surfing, parasailing, and sprawling cabin rentals that don’t demand anyone to share a room."
In a separate article, "10 Best Beach Towns in North Carolina, According to Locals,” Travel + Leisure enlisted a few coastal residents for their suggestions. Beaches included in the article were Wrightsville Beach, Oak Island, Corolla, Salvo, Nags Head, Southport, Bald Head Island, Beaufort, Carolina Beach, and Duck.
Blending business with leisure gives rise to new travel opportunities –Bleisure travel, a blend of business and leisure travel, is on the rise, reported GlobalTraveler.com. From tacking on a few days before or after a business trip to requesting to work remotely for an allocated amount of time, bleisure is flexible, dynamic and exciting. According to the Global Business Travel Association, 62 percent of business travelers say they are doing more bleisure travel in 2024 than in 2019, with 42 percent of business travelers adding extra personal days to business trips. As most bleisure travelers stay at the same place for both the work and leisure parts of their trip, hotels enjoy a new way of highlighting amenities and more leisure-focused experiences business travelers otherwise might not have used.
Hotel rewards programs adapt to new demands– According to the fifth annual State of Loyalty: Hospitality Rewards Report from iSeatz, a provider of travel loyalty technology, hospitality businesses are expanding the opportunities available to their loyalty members
. As reported by HotelManagement.net, some reward categories expanded more than others, including wellness, reflecting hotels' desire to keep members engaged and spending when on property. There was also a notable uptick in sustainability-related rewards and earning and redemption opportunities with vacation rental partners.
For the week of May 23, "North Carolina Weekend” offers “Historic Treasures.” Featured segments include the Thomas Day State Historic Site in Milton; Oberlin district in Raleigh; Museum of the Cape Fear in Fayetteville; Fort Defiance in Lenoir; and Carolina Arcade Museum in Forest City. (Check local listings, as 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.
Visit North Carolina is part of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina
150 Fayetteville St., Ste 1200, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27601, United States