Weekly e-newsletter for Visit NC Partners - November 21, 2024
IN THIS ISSUE:
* Recovery Marketing Update * Partners pitch to media reps at
Visit NC’s in-state reception
* Visit NC PR team, partners generate coverage for High Point, Boone and beaches
* Final part this morning of Visit NC’s webinar: Getting Organized with OneNote
Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, NewsLink will not be distributed next week. NewsLink will return Dec. 5.
Recovery Marketing Update
Visit NC has moved to quickly leverage the $5 million in recovery funds awarded by the NC General Assembly to the fullest, and with a great sense of urgency. The campaign is intended to make a difference immediately, but also with a view to extend through all four seasons. It will be focused on the region’s top markets of origin and proximity to the state. The goal of this campaign is to address misperceptions and to encourage travelers to support local communities and businesses with their visits. We are using the “Our best way to get back is for you to come back” as our through-line across this campaign creative, with headlines that are more overtly Holiday driven for the first half of the winter flight. The call to action directs potential
visitors to a dedicated campaign landing page on VisitNC.com encouraging responsible travel while also acknowledging the areas in need of more time before they are ready to welcome visitors back. Will also continue supporting other recovery efforts including the ShopWNC.com effort.
The first phase of the recovery campaign is focused on inspiring people to come visit during the Holiday season with signature events such as Great Smoky Mountain Railroad’s Polar Express, Christmas at Biltmore, Tweetsie Christmas and Choose and Cut Christmas trees. That will be followed by the most aggressive effort ever to promote winter travel to the region, including a beefed-up investment in Visit NC’s, long-time annual partnership with the NC Ski Areas Association. All along, Visit NC will be using updated research to continue evolving our messaging appropriately based on perceptions and sentiment as we move forward into spring, summer and fall 2025. The recovery funds also provide flexibility within Visit NC’s Core budget and the
ability to boost both Piedmont and Coast messaging, plus help address misperceptions about conditions in those regions as identified by SMARInsights in a post-storm survey.
In addition to the recovery campaign, Visit NC is evolving the Travel Advisory on VisitNC.com from informing travelers prior to the storm to increasingly emphasizing destinations open and ready to welcome visitors.
Partners pitch to media reps at Visit NC’s in-state reception
Visit NC's PR team and 34 destination partners from across the state shared their stories with media representatives from print, broadcast and digital outlets at Visit NC's annual in-state media mission. The event, held yesterday (Tuesday) at Missy Lane’s Assembly Room in Durham, drew about 40 in-state, regional and national correspondents along with well-regarded digital influencers and content creators.
Conversations took place over fare from Lawrence Barbecue served with Missy Lane’s menu of craft beer, cocktails and zero-proof drinks. The beverage lineup also included wine from Tunnel Creek, Marked Tree, Parker-Binns and Davesté vineyards. Partners engaged media reps with news and information about lodging, events and attractions, outdoor recreation and other points of interest. Between the in-person connections and follow-up, partners improve the odds of coverage to reach North Carolina residents, who made up 33 percent of overnight visitation statewide in 2023, while extending stories to readers of The Washington Post, Garden & Gun, Eater Carolinas, Southern Living and other publications.
Before the evening’s main event, an afternoon symposium featured Visit NC PR staff, agency reps and other experts covering travel trends, working with influencers and creators, PR measurement and itinerary planning. For more information about Visit NC's public relations programs, contact Veda Gilbert and Suzanne Brown at media@visitnc.com.
Visit NC PR team, partners generate coverage for High Point, Boone and beaches
Spring and summer media visits organized by the Visit NC PR team with partner hospitality have yielded fall coverage for destinations across the state in Country Living, AFAR and the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Country Living featured High Point and Pandora’s Manor in the extensive article “My Dream Do-Nothing Vacay is this Historic NC Inn Decked to the Nines
,” which followed a Quiet Luxury familiarization tour that took place in May. The article, which included more than a dozen photos, detailed the Grandmillennial style at Pandora’s Manor, a historic home transformed as a luxurious boutique hotel with each of its six suites bearing signatures of their individual designers: Thom Filicia, Barclay Butera, Tobi Fairley, Madcap Cottage, Alexa Hampton and Celerie Kemble. The writer, who viewed the property through the lens of High Point’s identity as the “Home Furnishings Capital of the World,” noted other High Point attractions such as Furnitureland South, Congdon Yards and the Nido & Mariana Qubein Children's Museum. Countryliving.com reaches more than 7.9 million unique monthly visitors. Visit High Point
hosted the fam’s four travel writers.
A fam tour that preceded June’s Adventure Travel Trade Association conference in Asheville led to Boone’s inclusion in AFAR’s "The 25 Best Places to Travel in 2025." “From a base in the lively mountain town, you can hike the trails of 5,946-foot Grandfather Mountain; take in scenic stretches of the Blue Ridge Parkway by car; and go tubing, kayaking, and fishing in the New River,” the article said. In addition to AFAR.com’s reach with 875,829 unique monthly visitors, the coverage spread to an even larger audience by way of a TimeOut.com
spinoff. The outlet reaches more 15 million unique monthly visitors. Explore Boone hosted the fam’s five writers.
The Crystal Coast, Ocracoke, the Outer Banks and Northern Outer Banks were featured in the Knoxville News Sentinel article “Find ghosts, history and wide-open beaches in Coastal North Carolina
.” The article, which appeared in the newspaper’s Sunday print edition as well as online, highlighted a range of attractions from state parks and historic sites to wild horses and lighthouses. With a reach of more than 1.7 million unique monthly visitors, the digital post included a well-annotated gallery with 17 images. The paper’s print circulation is about 19,000. The Crystal Coast TDA, Visit Ocracoke, the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau and the Currituck Department of Travel and Tourism provided hospitality for the mid-May visit.
Last part of Visit NC webinar this morning: Getting Organized with OneNote
The second and final part of Visit NC’s November webinar, “Getting Organized with OneNote,” is this morning. Led by Microsoft Certified Application Specialist Instructor Laura Cone. participants will learn how to create digital notebooks that unify handwritten notes, drawings, file attachments, and even video/audio. Participants will structure notebooks into sections and pages that can be easily searched and tagged. OneNote is great for documentation of projects and is necessary for busy people who need to stay organized! The second part of the webinar is at 10 a.m. is today (Thursday).
As with Part One, this webinar will last two hours. Click here to register.
Welsh executive director for Elizabeth City-Pasquotank County TDA
Angela Welsh is now the executive director for the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank County TDA. She may be contacted at (252) 335-5330 or via director@visitelizabethcity.com.
Person County TDA moves offices, visitor center
The Person County TDA has moved its offices and visitor center to a new location. The new address 2800 Durham Rd. in Roxboro (27573). Phone numbers and emails remain the same.
Nearly 80 million Americans expected to travel for Thanksgiving
During the Thanksgiving holiday travel period, AAA projects 79.9 million travelers
will head 50 miles or more from home. This year’s projection is an increase of 1.7 million people compared to last year and 2 million more than in 2019. AAA projects a record 71.7 million people will travel by car during Thanksgiving – that’s an additional 1.3 million travelers on the road compared to last year. This year’s number also surpasses pre-pandemic numbers. For the first time, AAA’s forecast includes the Tuesday before and the Monday after Thanksgiving Day to better capture the flow of holiday travelers.
Airport & Airline news
RDU gets new flights, airline - Raleigh-Durham International Airport is getting a new international flight hosted by a new airline for the airport. WestJet will begin nonstop service from Calgary International Airport (YYC) to RDU. The thrice-weekly flight will be offered June 9 through Oct. 13.
The news joins another announcement made earlier this month about BermudAir’s new twice-weekly flight from Bermuda (BDA) to RDU, slated to start April 11.
Allegiant adds nonstop route to AVL from DC region- Allegiant has announced a new nonstop flight to Asheville Regional Airport from Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Va., not far from Washington, DC. The flight to AVL from IAD is slated to start June 20.
Raleigh and Durham among ‘10 Affordable Places to Travel for Thanksgiving This Year’
In its “10 Affordable Places to Travel for Thanksgiving This Year
,” Travel + Leisure included Ralleigh and Durham. At #9, the article explained, in part, “Thanksgiving is a week known for its food, and this part of the state has been making a name for itself in the culinary world for the past few years — so you’ll want to arrive hungry. In Raleigh, have brunch at Hummingbird, lunch at Beasley’s Chicken and Honey, and dinner at Ajja. If you’re in Durham, don’t leave without trying Saltbox Seafood Joint or stopping by Durham Food Hall.”
For the week of Nov. 21, "North Carolina Weekend” offers “Overnight Stays.” Featured segments include The Inn on Pamlico Sound in Buxton; Historic hotels/inns in Winston-Salem; The Longleaf Hotel in Raleigh; and The Historic Magnolia House in Greensboro. (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
