| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | May 24, 2017 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE:
* Visit NC touts Dirty Dancing remake leading up to tonight's premiere * Season finale tonight for NC-filmed Shots Fired
* Canadian Media Mission results in Revival 1869 cocktail inclusion
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 | | | Screenshot from trailer |
VisitNC touts Dirty Dancing remake on web and social leading up to tonight's television premiere
A nationwide television audience will tune in tonight (Wednesday) to watch the highly anticipated remake of the movie classic Dirty Dancing, while North Carolina continues in a leading role. Dirty Dancing airs at 8 pm. on ABC. On @VisitNC's social platforms - Facebook, Instagram and Twitter - the team has helped build momentum during the past week by posting photos, provided by partners, of movie locations and video of the official trailer. The production had a direct in-state spend of $16M and created more than 1200 job opportunities - 250 of which were crew positions for the state's film professionals. Described by the network as a "three-hour musical event," Dirty Dancing filmed in Henderson, Jackson, Transylvania, Polk, and Buncombe counties. The TV movie includes several locations that fans of the film can visit and have their own "time of their life," while also visiting some Lake Lure sites and paying homage to the original feature film. During tonight's premiere, Visit North Carolina's 60-second "Beauty Here" spot will air in target markets during the ABC broadcast. On VisitNC.com, viewers can read about Dirty Dancing's significance to the state as they "Relive Famous Film Scenes in North Carolina," reminding them that the original movie was also filmed here, specifically in the Lake Lure area. That iconic movie is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, which adds special intrigue to the annual Dirty Dancing Festival in Lake Lure in August. |
 Season finale tonight for NC-filmed Shots Fired
Also on tonight is the season finale for Shots Fired on Fox network at 8 pm. According to the NC Film Office, Shots Fired was selected to receive a rebate of up to $9 million as part of the NC Film and Entertainment Grant Fund. The series was expected to have a direct in-state spend in excess of $36 million, and to offer 5,500 job opportunities, including 330 well-paying crew positions for the state's highly-skilled film workforce. The 10-episode production filmed in the Charlotte Region, including the counties of Mecklenburg, Iredell, Gaston and Rowan, among others. |
 Canadian Media Mission results in Revival 1869 cocktail inclusion
Resulting from one journalist's participation in Visit NC's Canadian Media Mission, Revival 1869 in Clayton had a cocktail recipe included in the Toronto Sun's "Perfect recipes to celebrate patio season." Of the Northern-Southern Hospitality cocktail, the article said, "This cocktail hails from North Carolina, and the Revival 1869 Drinkery, a new craft-cocktail and whiskey experience in the heart of downtown Clayton, NC. Mixologist Zach Thomas created this drink as a tribute to Canada - his Canadian heritage includes grandparents from Toronto and his dad who hails from Montreal. 'My father was born in Canada and the majority of my knowledge of the beautiful country that his family calls home are from stories they have told me,' says Zach of his drink that he's aptly named to help with Canada's 150th celebrations!" The placement resulted from Johnston County VB meeting the journalist during Visit NC's annual Canadian Media Mission this last month. |
 Charlotte to host 2019 NBA All-Star Game
The NBA and Charlotte have finalized a deal to bring the 2019 All-Star Weekend to the Queen City. The three-day event will be held on a Friday through Sunday, Feb. 15-17, climaxing in Sunday night's All-Star Game. Most events, including the game and various skills competitions, will be held uptown at the Spectrum Center. |
 Craft beer and food trucks: NASCAR gets a facelift at Charlotte Motor Speedway
NASCAR fans who made their way to Charlotte Motor Speedway this past weekend may have noticed a number of upgrades, including new food and drink options. For the first time, for instance, the speedway has licensed its own craft beer, the 600 Ale. To drive attendance, leaders in the NASCAR world have been working to make racetracks into attractive hangouts for casual and hardcore fans alike, which boasts craft beer tents, local barbecue vendors and family entertainment. At the Concord track, a new, 42,000 square-foot sun deck with an expansive dining and entertainment area was recently completed in response to fans who want "new ways" to enjoy NASCAR beyond the traditional track experience, CMS' Marcus Smith has said. At beer gardens across the speedway's main thoroughfares, vendors sold the new 600 Ale, which is made by Cabarrus Brewing Company and a nod to the upcoming Coca-Cola 600 race. The 10-acre fan zone also has new perks. |
| | | Tour group at Sanctuary Vineyards |
Kitty Hawk Kites introduces Vineyard Voyage excursion
Kitty Hawks Kites at the Outer Banks is introducing a new excursion for its guests. The Vineyard Voyage starts in Duck with a boat ride across Currituck Sound, through canals at Dew's Island with its herd of wild horses and other wildlife, and lands on mainland Currituck County; a 4x4 safari vehicle ride travels through wetlands to Sanctuary Vineyards in Jarvisburg, where guests can enjoy a dedicated wine experience. |
| | | (photo courtesy museum's Facebook) |
American Museum of the House Cat now open in Sylva
After years of planning and hoping to one day open his own museum, Harold Sims, known to many in Western North Carolina as the Cat Man, has finally done it. The American Museum of the House Cat opened in April outside of Sylva. The museum, which is open six days a week, has hundreds of relics, knick-knacks and pieces of art related to the bond between humans and cats, from ancient Egypt to modern day. |
 'Greenest hotel in America': Proximity Hotel makes climate-conscious travelers swoon
In its Travel section, The Washington Post featured the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro in "'Greenest hotel in America': A Greensboro hotel makes climate-conscious travelers swoon." The article notes, "In one sense, the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C., shouts its environmental bona fides from the rooftop. One of the first sights that greet guests as they turn in to an otherwise nondescript office park off Green Valley Road are the 100 solar panels perched atop the handsome hotel, which from afar looks like an old textile warehouse lovingly brought back to life. Visitors with low-emitting, fuel-efficient vehicles can pull into a preferred parking spot closer to the front entrance, where a U.S. Green Building Council seal proclaims the hotel's status as LEED Platinum - a rating reserved for the most energy efficient of buildings. (The Proximity became the first hotel in the United States to earn the distinction nearly a decade ago, and only a handful have earned it since.)"... "Luckily for travelers of every kind, [the hotel] made another promise: 'You won't sacrifice one iota of luxury or comfort because of our commitment to sustainable practices. We believe that deprivation is not sustainable.' Not to worry. There is no deprivation in the proximity of Proximity." |
 NC beaches, ice cream sandwiches featured
In its Travel section last week, USA Today offered a photo tour of "The best beaches in North Carolina." The article explained, "North Carolina is home to over 300 miles of picturesque, uncommercialized coastline. This is one of the only places on the East Coast that the Gulf Stream touches, meaning that the waters are uncommonly clear and warm. Here, you can slip away to isolated Ocracoke (accessible only by ferry, private boat or chartered plane) to climb the lighthouse tower to look for wild ponies; pull on your diving gear and explore the sunken shipwreck of Blackbeard off of the Crystal Coast; or kayak down Cape Fear River near Wrightsville Beach and stand where the Wright Brothers launched the first manned flight in the Outer Banks. Whether you do it all or just enjoy the sand between your toes, North Carolina's pristine beaches were made for relaxation." The photo gallery included 24 photos. In a separate story, Sunshine Sammies and a gelato panini at Carowinds were included in "The coolest ice cream sandwiches across the country." Of Sunshine Sammies, the photo gallery said, "A solar-powered food truck roaming around Asheville, N.C., Sunshine Sammies serves combinations like lemon and cardamom ice cream on matcha cookies, peach and black tea jam swirl ice cream on cornmeal cookies, and vanilla bean and salty fudge swirl ice cream on buckwheat cocoa nib cookies. Expect an ice cream sandwich cafe soon." Of the Carowinds creation, "Carowinds, a theme park in Charlotte, N.C., offers a toasted Gelato Panini, featuring ice cream flavors like red velvet and blue Birthday Cake honoring the park's blue signature roller coaster, Fury 325. The ice cream is sandwiched inside a bun and briefly put in a panini press, creating a warm outside and a frozen inside." |
Surveys, Industry, Marketing & Travel Trends
Hotels add plugs, ports for device-laden guests - In its "Road Warrior Voices" segment, USA Today provides feedback from its group about the availability of plug-ins for hotel guests, especially those that travel with multiple devices. One Road Warrior travels with a laptop, an iPad, two cellphones and a backup power pack to keep all his devices charged. "Let's say this: plugs on the nightstand, in the bathroom, on the desk - at least four on the desk - and others around the room in easy reach, without having to duck under furniture or behind furniture," he says. Many older hotel rooms have outlets hidden behind nightstands and desks. But hoteliers are listening to travelers and thinking carefully about the "plug-ability" of new properties when designing them and retrofitting older ones to handle multiple devices. Wyndham is adding outlets throughout new and renovated guest rooms, putting them in places such as nightstands, bathroom makeup mirrors and entryways. InterContinental Hotels' new H4 guestroom has a "Welcome Nook," a place for guests to hang their coat, drop their keys and plug in devices. A movable desk and five dedicated points of power throughout the room were added. All new and renovated Holiday Inn hotels will adopt the new design. Extended stay hotels experiment with on-demand food services - Arguably, one of the biggest perks of staying in an extended stay hotel is the use of a kitchen, and enterprising brands within the space are looking for innovative ways to help guests take advantage of this unique amenity. One of those brands includes Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham. Last year, the brand launched a "Homemade @ Hawthorn" program that features a collection of chef-designed recipes for guests to use during their stay. And at the end of April, the company has made it that much easier for guests to cook those recipes by partnering with appropriate companies to facilitate on-demand grocery delivery services for guests. Currently, the program is in pilot at eight hotels throughout the US, including two locations in North Carolina (Charlotte and Raleigh). A representative with Hawthorn Suites said the company decided to pilot this program primarily because more and more American households are choosing to have their groceries delivered out of convenience. He added that another reason was motivated by the fact that "Forty-five percent of all business travelers choose extended stay properties because they want access to a kitchen, and 66 percent of Americans, and 84 percent of Millennials, say cooking for themselves in their hotel room would make them more comfortable in a long-term stay hotel. It's just a natural fit to have recipes and to have the ingredients made available through a delivery mechanism." |
The buzz about sustainable hotels
Quite a few hotels are making a beeline toward sustainability. In 2008, as part of its Fairmont Sustainability Partnership platform, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts developed its Bee Sustainable program, a great opportunity to combat honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder by setting up honeybee hives on hotel rooftops. This multi-faceted project not only provides bees with a haven, but it also helps nurture herb and vegetable gardens onsite because honeybees are excellent pollinators. The hotel chefs also harvest the honey for use in their bars and restaurants. In San Francisco, at least seven hotels have been doing their part to combat honeybee colony collapse with rooftop hives, which they can also harvest honey for food, cocktails and spa products. Even smaller lodging businesses in North Carolina, such as the Beechtree Inn in Hertford, maintain hives to promote a healthier bee population and to help pollinate the gardens on the property. The honey produced at the Beechtree Inn is made available to guests who stay at the property. For businesses interested in learning more about beekeeping, the N.C. Extension Service offers helpful Apiculture and Beekeeping information. To learn more about sustainability in the tourism industry, contact ECU Center for Sustainability Partnership Coordinator Kamara Jones at (252) 737-4312, or NC GreenTravel Initiative Manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140.
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| | On North Carolina Weekend for the week of May 25,get a chance to visit the Land of Oz in Beech Mountain. It's all aboard at the New Hope Valley Railroad in New Hill. Take to the skies while staying on the ground at the Western North Carolina Air Museum in Hendersonville. Relax at The Village Hotel on Biltmore Estate in Asheville. And discover The Flying Melon restaurant in Ocracoke. (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. | North Carolina room revenues were up 8.9 percent in 2016 from 2015, topping $3.5 billion. Statewide room revenues have increased 60 percent since 2006 and 44 percent in the last five years. This is due to both a healthy increase in demand and ADR growth statewide. Room revenues were up 4.8 percent nationally and up 5.1 percent in the South Atlantic states from 2015 to 2016. For more North Carolina lodging information, visit the Lodging Reports, or contact Tourism Research Director Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748. |
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Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events
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's TRAC, Dobson July 23-24 - AENC Annual Meeting, Winston-Salem July 27-28 - MPI-CC Meeting, Winston-Salem |
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