Weekly e-newsletter for Visit NC partners, May 25, 2022

IN THIS ISSUE:


* Ocracoke named ‘Best Beach’ by Dr. Beach;

Old Lighthouse Beach #6 

* Visit NC PR team assists Wall Street Journal

on ‘Blue Ridge Joy Ride’

* Visit NC’s next webinar examines the

latest research for visitors, tourism impact

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Ocracoke named ‘Best Beach’ by Dr. Beach; Old Lighthouse Beach in Buxton #6


The lifeguarded beach at Ocracoke returns to the top of Dr. Beach’s list of 10 Best Beaches in America, a pinnacle it first reached in 2007. Dr. Stephen Leatherman (aka Dr. Beach) officially revealed the 2022 selection today (Wednesday) at a gathering on the island. "Ocracoke has what people are looking for,” Leatherman said. “It has beautiful sand, soft light, and the water's clean and clear. The temperature’s in the 70s today, beach-type weather, no jellyfish, no seaweed. Then it has a quaint little village with B&Bs and small, wonderful restaurants." Dr. Beach rates 650 public beaches on 50 criteria, including beach width at low tide, water and sand quality, wildlife, cleanliness and public safety.

 

Of Old Lighthouse Beach’s selection, Dr. Beach explained, “This lifeguarded beach is the No. 1 surfing spot on the U. S. Atlantic Coast.” He also enjoys strolling at Cape Point, Cape Hatteras’ easternmost elbow of land, “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.” 


Visit North Carolina arranged a satellite media tour in Ocracoke today, scheduling 22 interviews to coincide with Dr. Beach’s announcement. Media pick-up of the 2022 Top Beaches announcement included Forbes, CNN, Yahoo, Sky News (U.K.) and many others.

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Visit NC PR team assists Wall Street Journal on ‘Blue Ridge Joy Ride’

 

Belmont, Shelby, Tryon, Hendersonville and Highlands were featured in the “Off Duty” cover story in last Saturday’s The Wall Street Journal. The writer contacted the Visit NC PR team for guidance as he planned a mountains-focused trip from Charlotte to Nashville. “It’s a less predictable itinerary than the well-hyped Blue Ridge Parkway ambling farther north through Asheville,” he wrote in the article, which appeared in print under the headline "A Blue Ridge Joy Ride” and online as "Road Trip in the Blue Ridge Mountains: Hikes, Hush Puppies and a Retro-Chic Mountain Lodge.” After stating that the journey “offers more than enough temptation to stretch the trip to a week,” the writer shared an itinerary that highlighted Cherub’s Café in Belmont, the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, Nina Simone Plaza in Tryon, Marked Tree Vineyard in Flat Rock and Highland Excursion in Highlands along with accommodations and other activities and dining spots. Photos and a hand-drawn map added more inspiration to the coverage. The Wall Street Journal’s weekend print circulation is 995,000. The digital edition garners more than 32 million unique monthly visitors.

Visit NC’s next webinar examines the latest research for visitors, tourism impact

 

Visit NC’s next monthly webinar will provide an update on recently completed research, including the 2021 NC Visitor Profile, the 2021 NC Regional Visitor Profile and 2021 Impact of Tourism on North Carolina. The webinar will also present data from the first few months of 2022, to provide a glance at what can be expected for 2022. This webinar will be on June 9 at 10 a.m. Click here to register.

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N.C.-filmed ‘Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane’ gets premiere date

 

The N.C.-filmed reality series “Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane” has announced it will premiere on June 23 on USA Network. The double-buddy reality sitcom will follow Austin and Whitney Dillon (plus son, Ace) and their best friends Paul and Mariel Swan as they navigate life and the NASCAR world together. Together, the couples balance the guys’ high-octane day jobs with life off the track. Austin is one of the best drivers in the world and considered “racing royalty”; his grandfather is NASCAR legend Richard Childress, who is also his boss and team owner. The production filmed earlier this year, primarily in the Piedmont Triad area with additional filming taking place in the Charlotte region.

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‘Welcome to Flatch’ renewed for Season 2 on Fox

 

Fox network has renewed the N.C.-filmed “Welcome to Flatch” for a second seasonThe series is a mocumentary that has a documentary crew go to a small town to study young adults and their current concerns. Production activity on the project took place in Pender, New Hanover and Duplin counties and many promotional elements for the series have featured. Most of the production’s season one took place October 2020-February 2021. The first season of "Welcome to Flatch" had been approved for a rebate of up to $8 million; it's expected to have an estimated direct in-state spend around $32 million.

Research shows business travel slowly coming back

 

Business travel is slowly coming back, reports Destination Analysts in recent research. While only 37 percent of American travelers believe that business travel will return to pre-pandemic levels in 2022, more than half of business travelers say they will take a business trip in the next three months. The avoidance of conference/convention travel has finally reached a tipping point as well. For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, the same proportion of travelers report they will avoid a conference/convention due to COVID as those who disagree.

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A recent poll by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) reports high levels of optimism and employee willingness to travel for business. Only one in five business travelers surveyed report that they have cancelled or suspended domestic business travel, compared to 33 percent in February. Of the companies that have suspended international travel, 75 percent of them plan to resume domestic travel in the next three months.

 

Sentiment in terms of residents being open to travelers has improved and is at a pandemic high, according to Destination Analysts. Less than a quarter of Americans agree that they do not want travelers in their community right now.

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Visit NC will be providing frequent research updates through Newslink with links to available studies.
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Vote for N.C. towns among ‘Best of road trips’

 

North Carolina has several sites among the nominations for 10Best's Readers' Choice Awards categories for the “Best of Road Trips.” Online voting by readers is now open via USAToday.com; click on the hyperlink to vote. Voting ends June 20 at noon.

 

Best Glamping Spot – Asheville Glamping, Asheville; Jellystone Camp Golden Valley, Golden Valley

 

Best Luxury RV Resort - Mountain Falls Luxury Motorcoach Resort, Lake Toxaway

 

Best Roadside Motel - Mother Earth Motor Lodge, Kinston; The Sunset Motel, Brevard; Unscripted Durham, Durham

 

Best Vintage Trailer Hotel – JuneBug Retro Resort, Weaverville

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Ashe County now offers ‘The Devil’s Stairs’ for motorcycle enthusiasts

 

The Ashe County Chamber of Commerce has announced its latest attraction: the Devil’s Stairs motorcycle ride, an approximately 80-mile loop starting and ending in West Jefferson and based on a local folk tale. The Ashe Post & Times reported the route features great pavement, technical curves and High Country scenery. The chamber was approached with the idea as a possible tourism-generating opportunity; it followed up with a website, videos and social media initiatives. The chamber hopes that riders will make Ashe County their hub for lodging, dining and shopping, even while also taking advantage of all the rides the region has to offer. The chamber was approached with the idea as a possible tourism-generating opportunity; it followed up with a website, videos and social media initiatives. As for the Chamber’s interest in the project, Executive Director Kitty Honeycutt noted the economic impact of the mototourism sector. “We’re already seeing in the first week that it will have a very positive impact and bring a completely new audience to the county to enjoy our amazing scenery and amenities,” said Honeycutt. 

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Cape Hatteras National Seashore among 'Six parks tell the surprising stories of the American South'

 

National Geographic magazine included Cape Hatteras National Seashore in “These six parks tell the surprising stories of the American South,” surprising natural and social histories of spectacular places in Louisiana, Arkansas, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and beyond. The article noted, in part, "From pirates to the Civil War, this seashore has seen it all... The history of the Outer Banks is a centuries-long string of harrowing tales of shipwreck and war... During the Civil War, the islands were used as battlefields. Whoever controlled them, and the surrounding sounds, would ultimately control North Carolina... To counter the perilous sea, many light stations were constructed along the Outer Banks, including the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.”

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Outer Banks the N.C. selection for 'The Most Beautiful Place in Each U.S. State'

 

For its The Most Beautiful Place in Each U.S. State,” Travel + Leisure chose the Outer Banks for the N.C. selection. Of the Outer Banks, the online article noted, “This remote stretch of North Carolina coastline has drawn pirates, colonists, and early aviators. Now, it's the realm of beach lovers looking for peace, quiet, white sand, and salt air. Add in the barrier islands' wild dunes (including the East Coast's largest) and multiuse paths – it's actually possible to bike the entire 100-plus-mile length of the Outer Banks – and you've got an amazing region for quaint coastal exploration.”

'North Carolina Weekend'


For the week of May 26, "North Carolina Weekendrecommends “All Aboard.” Featured segments include Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster in Banner Elk; New Hope Valley Railroad in New Hill; New Bern Trolley Tours in New Bern; Water Bug Tours in Beaufort; and Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock. (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. 

Upcoming industry meetings & events

 

June 4-8IPW, Orlando, Fla.

June 9 - Visit NC webinar

June 5-10 – STS Marketing College, Macon, Ga.

June 13-16 – TTRA Annual International Conference, Victoria, British Columbia

June 23-24 – NC Coast Host meeting, Greenville

June 27-29 – AFCI Week, Beverly Hills, Calif.

July 14 - Visit NC webinar

July 14-15 – MPI-Carolinas Chapter Meeting, Chapel Hill

July 19-22 - Destinations International Annual Convention, Toronto, Ont.

July 24-26 – AENC Annual Meeting, New Bern

Resources for travel industry regarding COVID-19

As the travel industry is facing challenging times in the ever-changing situation of COVID-19 and its effects, there are several useful resources available to help with information, communications, planning and guidance.
 
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