Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners
October 17, 2018
IN THIS ISSUE:
* MYMU in Chapel Hill next week
* Visit NC's PR work leads to Carolina Inn 
among 'Most haunted'
* A Chef's Life series finale set to air next week
MYMU in Jacksonville today (Wednesday)
MYMU in Chapel Hill next week
 
Registration is still open for the rescheduled Mid-Year Marketing Update in Chapel Hill next week. The Visit NC team is visiting Chapel Hill on Oct. 22 at 1:30-3:30 pm. Registration is open to all tourism-related businesses who are interested in attending either session. Please register for the MYMU, even if you had registered for an originally scheduled session.
 
The Mid-Year Marketing Updates are a return to the original format in which Visit NC will show attendees its current marketing programs and co-op initiatives as well as present programmatic updates from marketing, film and partner & industry relations. Visit NC also seeks to gain insight from members of the N.C. tourism industry to help fuel its strategic planning. In addition, Visit NC is interested in hearing from tourism businesses and DMOs about their initiatives, concerns and upcoming large events.
Visit NC's PR work leads to Carolina Inn among 'Most haunted'
 
The work of Visit NC's PR team has led to The Carolina Inn being included among Men's Journal's "The Most Haunted Homes, Hotels, and Lodges in America." The inclusion is the result of the PR team's work with the writer. Of The Carolina Inn, the online article noted, "Turn a corner and you may see a heavy-set man looming in the hallways, then vanish into thin air. Or, you may be sitting in your room as this fella rattles your door knobs. Paranormal investigators even recorded the faint sound of piano notes at this historic property-where no piano was being played. Tuck into a bourbon from the hotel's Crossroads restaurant's extensive collection as you chat with the barkeep about the 20 "ghosts in residence" that may linger here long after your nightcap."
A Chef's Life series finale set to air next week
 
Celebrity Chef Vivian Howard closes out A Chef's Life after five seasons with the "Harvest Special," premiering Monday, Oct. 22, on UNC-TV. After five seasons, the Emmy- and Peabody-winning show ends with the one-hour finale. As the show airs nationally on PBS, it has brought significant attention to Chef & the Farmer, Howard's restaurant in Kinston, farms in Lenoir County and other aspects of eastern N.C..
Deadline extended to Oct. 26 for STS Top 20 Events nominations for April-May-June
 
Due to so many tourism destinations being affected by the recent hurricanes, Southeast Tourism Society has extended the deadline for nominating events for its Top 20 events for April-May-June to Oct. 26. Nominated events must have an attendance of at least 1,000 and be in the third year of existence. Nominations for STS' Top 20 Events can now be submitted electronically using a downloadable .pdf. Top 20 Events strongly encourages entrants to support their nomination by providing supporting material such as photos, posters, brochures, press releases, news clippings and/or volunteer programs. There is a $25 entry fee per event nomination and nominations are open to both STS members and non-members.
Sanderling, Asheville among Readers' Choice favorites
 
For Condé Nast Traveler's 2018 Readers' Choice Awards, the Sanderling Resort in Duck was ranked #47 among the Best Resorts in the World. In addition, Asheville was #8 among the Best Small Cities in the U.S.
Youth basketball tournament ranks among biggest events ever hosted in Raleigh
 
Last week, it was announced that the U.S. Basketball Association Boys National Championship will be held in Raleigh in July 2019, 2020 and 2021. It will be the largest single-week youth sporting event ever held in Raleigh, based on total hotel room nights. The event will see more than 15,000 attendees from around the world and is expected to generate the need for more than 19,000 hotel room nights and $11 million in tourist spending each year. The championship event will feature 450 teams - with players in grades 2nd-12th - competing over five days each year. That is approximately 5,100 athletes and coaches and their families. The 2018 Championships, held in Charlotte, saw teams from 38 states and four international teams.
United adding IAD-AVL flight
 
United Airlines has announced it's adding a flight from Washington Dulles International Airport to Asheville Regional Airport. The year-round, twice daily flight connecting IAD and AVL is slated to start in February.
Whiteside Mountain among '25 Best Fall Hiking Trails'
 
Whiteside Mountain, in Cashiers, is among Conde Nast Traveler's "25 Best Fall Hiking Trails: Our Favorite Fall Hikes in the U.S." Of the trail along White Mountain, the online article noted, "For a small $2 parking fee, hikers on this two-mile-plus loop are rewarded with majestic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains at multiple spots. On clear days, you'll see to South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia; on cloudier ones, a misty mountain fog imbues a spooky feel. Look for peregrine falcons that nest in the mountain's cliffs."
Renovations for Ballantyne put it in the spotlight
 
USA Today included The Ballantyne in its "From east to west, hotels get major renovations to lure holiday visitors." Among the aspects cited for The Ballantyne, part of the article ex[;said, "To celebrate its 17th anniversary, The Ballantyne has unveiled a multi-million dollar makeover with redesigned guestrooms and public spaces. The renovation is a nod to Charlotte's Ballantyne enclave, which was once a family hunting land. When they arrive, guests will be greeted by two bronze Dalmatian statues that pay tribute to the pets who roamed the original hunting land. The lobby is decorated in a palette of white, gold and grey, with hand-painted gold accents. From 1803 to 1828, North Carolina was the only state in the nation to produce gold. Guest rooms were also redesigned with a mixture of antiques and new pieces. The Spa at Ballantyne also has a new color palette of warm neutrals and powder blues.
Kubik new executive director for BRPA
 
Frederick "Tubby" Kubik is the new executive director for the Blue Ridge Parkway Association. He may be contacted at (828) 670-1924 or via tubbykubik@blueridgeparkway.org
The making of a zero waste hotel
 
Hotels around the world are aspiring to "zero waste" status. This is a philosophy that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused. Examples of successful methods include eliminating paper waste with electronic checkouts, not handing out brochures, eliminating single-use plastics and other disposables, composting food waste, recycling, and reducing/reusing materials. Above all, hotels should establish standard protocols for eliminating waste, getting management and all employees onboard with the program.
 
One San Diego hotel involved both its daily and conference operations to achieve zero waste status with simple, but significant, changes. It hosted a convention where attendees were given a flash drive pre-loaded with all of the conference materials. If they wanted more information from an exhibitor, it could be loaded on the flash drive, too. All exhibit displays that were shipped to the hotel had to leave the hotel in the same box to prevent cardboard waste. Other efforts included allowing no plastic water bottles, serving all drinks in glasses and only uses cloth napkins. At the end of the five days, the hotel determined that they had exceeded its goal and had a 92 percent diversion rate for the convention. The change with the most impact was the decision to compost all food waste at the facility. Because the 1,053-room hotel produces more than 5 tons of food waste each week, this change alone increased the diversion rate to 80 percent. Instead of throwing away food waste, all pre-consumer waste and uneaten food scraps is scrapped into a waste bin. All hotel food waste from the hotel is taken to a greenery composting area and covered in top soil. After 60-90 days of baking in the sun, the waste is turned into compost material that is given free to San Diego residents. The hotel also decided to move to a single stream recycling campaign, where all recyclables commodities are commingled (vs. separate bins for different types of recyclables) and then taken to waste management where it is sorted.
 
For more information and to learn about how NC GreenTravel Initiative can help a hotel - or restaurant or attraction - to work toward zero waste status, contact program manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140.
For the week of Oct. 18 on North Carolina Weekend, explore the Original Siamese Twins exhibit at the Surry Arts Council in Mount Airy. Relax at the O. Henry Hotel in Greensboro. Tempt your taste buds at French Broad Chocolate Lounge in Asheville. And the "House Special" samples the fare at Villa Verde Dominican Restaurant in Greenville. (Check local listings; segments are subject to change.) North Carolina Weekend is underwritten by Visit North Carolina. In addition, UNC-TV has made recent editions of North Carolina Weekend available online.
More than 863,000 international visitors traveled to North Carolina in 2017, an increase of 3.4 percent from 2016. These visitors spent approximately $1.1 billion in the state, or on average $1,274 per person. For more North Carolina visitor research information, visit the Research Partners page, or contact Visit NC's Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748.

Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events

Oct. 18 - NC Coast Host Quarterly Meeting, Currituck
Oct. 18-19 - AENC Fall Conference, Durham
Oct. 22 - Visit NC's Mid-Year Marketing Update, Chapel Hill
Oct. 22-25 - National Trails Conference, Vancouver, Wash.
Oct. 23-25 - Marketing Outlook Forum, Las Vegas, Nev.
Oct. 24-26 - NC Recreation & Parks Conference, Winston-Salem
Oct. 29-30 - NC TIA Leadership Conference, Winston-Salem
Nov. 4-8 - NTA Travel Exchange, Milwaukee, Wis.
Nov. 5-7 - World Travel Market, London, U.K.
Nov. 7-9 - AARC Annual Conference, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Nov. 8-9 - MPI-CC Meeting, Spartanburg, S.C.
Nov. 14 - Visit NC Travel & Tourism Board Meeting, Cary
Dec. 13 - AENC Annual Showcase, Raleigh
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