Weekly e-newsletter for Visit NC partners - May 24, 2023
IN THIS ISSUE:
* N.C. travel promoted to international market at IPW
* Don't miss out on the 2024 North Carolina Travel Guide; opportunities start at $500
* Visit NC's June webinar looks at
Outdoor NC initiative
Visit NC”s Gilbert (left) and
Outer Banks VB’s Aaron Tuell
(back center) during
appointments
N.C. travel promoted to international market at IPW
Visit NC’s Wit Tuttell, Heidi Walters and Veda Gilbert attended the U.S. Travel Association's IPW this week in San Antonio. With COVID-19 restrictions now lifted for entry to the U.S., international tour operators and media met to discuss getting international visitors back to the U.S. and North Carolina now that the country is fully open. The N.C. team, along with partners from Nantahala Outdoor Center, Outer Banks VB, Visit Charlotte and Greater Raleigh CVB, had more than 90 pre-scheduled meetings with tour operators and media to promote travel to North Carolina.
The N.C. delegation at one meeting
IPW is the travel industry's premier international marketplace and much more than a typical trade show. In 2022 International spending was up 170 percent compared to 2021. It’s expected that number will only increase with more international flights added in the last year to the state.
Don't miss out on the 2024 North Carolina Travel Guide; opportunities start at $500
Advertising opportunities starting as low as $500 are available for the 2024 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 2024. 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 2024 N.C. Travel Guide Media Kit via here. For more information, contact Integrated Sales Manager-Travel Stacey Rosseter at (678) 571-7445.
Visit NC's June webinar looks at Outdoor NC initiative
For its June webinar, Visit NC will share information on the Outdoor NC initiative. Working in partnership with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, the initiative launched in 2020 to ensure North Carolina's treasured outdoor resources continue to thrive for the 51 million people who visit these spaces annually. The webinar will serve as a recap on where the initiative started, how it got to where it is now, and the direction it's headed. The webinar will be held at 10 a.m. on June 8. Click
here to register
A recent report by HNR Hotel News reports that demand is stronger than ever for short-term rentals (STRs). It noted that AirDNA’s latest month market review shows that the summer of 2023 will be the strongest on record. Booked revenues for the summer are already up 15 percent compared to the same time last year.
Supply growth for STRs overall has settled, while demand is increasing, which will lead to increases in other key metrics this summer such as occupancy and RevPAR. AirDNA also notes that guests of these properties are also seeing minimal price increases this spring. Year-over-year, ADR has increased only 2 percent.
However, in North Carolina, supply growth is still strong with a 22 percent increase from last year. With a 24 percent increase in STR bookings, this leads to a slightly negative occupancy rate (-0.5 percent). ADR has seen modest increases relative to national increases with a 4 percent increase year-to-date.
Visit NC will be providing frequent research updates through Newslink with links to available studies.
Stephanie Pace Brown will be the new president for Visit Winston-Salem, effective July 1. Visit Winston-Salem’s President Richard Geiger officially retires June 30, after leading the organization for the last 13 years. After July 1, Brown may be contacted at (336) 728-4200 or via stephanie@visitwinstonsalem.com.
Buxton’s Lighthouse Beach #5 among ‘Top 10 Beaches’
Lighthouse Beach, in Buxton and part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, is #5 among the 2023 Top 10 Beaches
. Determined by "Dr. Beach," a.k.a. Dr. Stephen Leatherman, the annual ranking rates beaches on criteria such as water and sand quality as well as safety and environmental management. Of Lighthouse Beach, Dr. Beach noted, “This lifeguarded beach is the number one surfing spot on the U. S. Atlantic Coast as the large offshore sand banks, known as Diamond Shoals, cause wave refraction focusing wave energy on this beach. It is fun to stroll down to the Cape Point where a long sand spit often exists, making one feel somewhat like Moses because the waves are coming from both directions as you walk along this narrow string of sand in the ocean.”
Ocracoke Beach was named #1 among Dr. Beach’s 2022 Top 10 Beaches. Due to that recognition, it wasn’t eligible for consideration in 2023.
Edenton, Nags Head, Southport among ‘America’s underrated coastal small towns’
Edenton, Nags Head and Southport are featured in “Small Town Vibes, Big Time Beauty: 10 of America's Underrated Coastal Small Towns Revealed” as a result of pitching from the Visit NC PR team and destination partners. The roundup, created by Savoteur.com
and posted at MSN.com, connects Nags Head and Southport to their TV and movie fame while reflecting on the historic beauty of Edenton. With recommendations for things to see and do and places to stay and dine, the coverage brings a reach of more than 215 million unique visitors per month.
’36 Hours: Asheville’
As part of the series within its Travel section, The New York Times offered “36 Hours: Asheville
” earlier this month. The article noted, in part, “In recent years, the city, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, has become a culinary hot spot, with multiple award-winning restaurants, and an inordinate number of breweries. Art lovers will find much to savor in the River Arts District, and bikers and hikers will have miles of trails in and around the city to explore. In the downtown area and beyond, Black residents are embracing their ‘Affrilachian’ heritage through tours and art collectives, and creative spaces featuring the work of Indigenous artists acknowledge the region’s ties to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, on whose ancestral land the city sits.”
Asheville the ‘latest hot food destination’
As part of its regular “By the Way” section in Travel, The Washington Post highlighted Asheville in its “The latest hot food destination is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains
.” In addition to suggesting several sites, the article noted “Asheville has become a can’t-miss culinary city with spots serving Indian street snacks and summer camp-inspired food… The city has award-winning restaurants sitting just blocks apart and homegrown chefs making national headlines… There must be something in that delicious spring water, because Asheville is now a can’t-miss travel destination for anyone who loves to dine out.”
‘By Design’ includes two N.C. sites
For its “By Design” episode that aired this past Sunday, “Sunday Morning” had two segments with North Carolina connections. Replacements Ltd in Greensboro was the subject for the segment “Replacing hard-to-find china? Who ya' gonna call?” The segment “Elevators: Living the high life" included an elevator within the Biltmore house in Asheville.
For the week of May 25, "North Carolina Weekend” highlights “Memorial Weekend.” Featured segments include House of Flags in Columbus; Bynum General Store in Bynum; Halifax State Historic Site in Halifax; Weldon Mills Distillery in Weldon; and 12 Bones Smokehouse in Asheville. (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. nd" available online.
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