| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | September 13, 2017 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE:
* Visit NC efforts for Hurricane Irma * Visit NC promotes N.C. travel to Chinese tour operators
* TRAC in Washington/Beaufort County region next week
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 | | | I-26 East NC Welcome Center saw increased traffic |
Visit NC efforts for Hurricane Irma
Hurricane Irma forced one of the largest evacuations in U.S. history and North Carolina became host to thousands of evacuees. In response to the approaching storm to the U.S., Visit NC collected and then updated information on available accommodations for evacuees looking for relocation. This document was used internally by 1-800-VisitNC Call Center and NC Welcome Centers to assist visitors who contacted them. After call centers closed for the evening, Visit NC provided visitors who needed immediate assistance a direct link to accommodations information. As of last Thursday and through yesterday (Tuesday), the Call Center attended to 2,425 calls with 430 inquiries about Hurricane Irma; this was a 7 percent increase over the usual amount of calls to the center. In addition, through yesterday, VisitNC.com has provided daily updates regarding Hurricane-Tropical Storm Irma and emergency information to visitors. |
| | | Walters (standing right of monitor) discussing N.C. during one session |
Visit NC promotes N.C. travel to Chinese tour operators
Visit North Carolina, along with our Travel South USA Partners, hosted 20 Chinese receptive tour operators in Los Angeles, Calif., last week. In addition, Visit NC did trainings for receptive tour operators ATI and Bonotel, showcasing North Carolina's best tourism destinations through presentations and networking events. Chinese visitors are the fastest growing segment of travel to the U.S. In the last five years they have moved from 8th to 4th in inbound visitation. From 2014 to 2015, visitation grew 24 percent and is expected to be 30 percent for 2016. In North Carolina, China ranks 3rd in overall overseas visitation, but #1 in overseas spending. For more information about Visit North Carolina's international programs, contact Heidi Walters at (919) 447-7762. |
| | | A previous TRAC in Creedmoor | |
TRAC coming to Washington/Beaufort County region next week
Next week, on Sept. 21, tourism-related businesses in Washington and the Beaufort County regional area – including the surrounding counties – will have an opportunity to work with Visit North Carolina staff to learn about its research, development and marketing services, and discuss best practices in reaching travelers, the media and increasing tourism visitation and spending. Visit NC's Tourism Resource Assistance Center (TRAC) is a community-based training program designed to help small tourism-related businesses. The TRAC event will be held 10 am - 2 pm at the Washington Civic Center at 110 N. Gladden St. in Washington. There is no charge to attend, no reservation is required, and there are no PowerPoint presentations. This is a come-when-you-can/stay-as-long-as-you'd-like event opportunity for all tourism-related businesses to meet one-on-one with program managers to discuss better ways to promote their property or event. TRAC brings Visit NC's program managers to local communities to discuss the nuts and bolts of working with the organization. This invaluable program is designed to help tourism-related businesses engage more fully with programs offered by Visit NC and its partners. Representatives from the EDPNC's BLNC, N.C. Dept. of Commerce, N.C. Dept. of Natural & Cultural Resources and NC GreenTravel will also be on hand to discuss services they can provide businesses, including strategic planning, assisting with identifying funding sources and serving as liaisons with other local, state and federal agencies. For additional information on this session or to learn more about scheduling a TRAC visit to your community, contact Andre Nabors at (919) 447-7771. |
 Visit NC PR efforts result in Pinehurst Resort's Thistle Dhu among 'Unusual and historic miniature golf courses around the USA'
Resulting from reactive outreach by Visit NC's PR team, USAToday.com included Pinehurst Resort's Thistle Dhu in its "Unusual and historic miniature golf courses around the USA." Of the North Carolina selection, the online article noted, "The first miniature golf course in the USA was built in 1916 on the estate of steamship magnate James Barber in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Nearly 100 years later, Pinehurst Resort has built its own 18-hole putting course, named after the original – Thistle Dhu. Don't expect obstacles or windmills here, however – mini golfers will instead find undulating greens and natural contours similar to those found on the famed traditional courses." |
 National Park Service figuring out the travel industry and overtourism
The National Park Service has been welcoming tourists into its monuments, parks and sites for more than 100 years – with record visitation in many cases. But when it comes to courting the travel industry and working with travel brands to understand tourism trends and expectations, some park service officials admit this is a work in progress. For decades, the park service wasn't working with surrounding communities and travel brands to communicate its economic impact on local populations, and the environmental impact of travelers on its properties. That's in large part because the park service is still educating itself on what its role is in the tourism industry, said John Slaughter with the Blue Ridge Parkway. "The park service has been doing tourism through osmosis for the past 100 years," said Slaughter. "We begged people to come [for the centennial anniversary] and we made a huge effort and they came out but we hadn't prepared ourselves as tourism professionals to manage that incredible amount of folks." Like many other destinations, the park service is trying to figure out how to get people to visit for multiple days rather than just a day visit and how to encourage people to spend more time and spread their wallet around more in surrounding communities, said a representative with the NPS. National Parks and sites are increasingly taking cues from tourism boards on how to work with the travel industry and market its offerings, which was largely absent at many parks in the past. Generating revenue has been a taboo subject for the park service in the past, said Slaughter, so tourism boards are helping some parks figure out. "Tourism boards are helping us to figure that out how we market to a new generation of travelers and the PR around that and what that means for the visitor," he said. "Everything I've heard from the DMOs [Destination Marketing Organizations] is 'help us help you' and then also 'let's find a way to say yes.'" But it's that lack of revenue that's in part kept many parks from having adequate staffing levels to manage visitor flows and keep up with infrastructure improvements and maintenance |
Houston restaurant pros share best practices to help after a disaster (like Hurricane Harvey)Last week, post-Harvey, a group of Houston restaurant-industry professionals quickly banded together to help feed their community, reported Skift in its Chefs + Techs. I Have Food, I Need Food was made up of chefs, restaurant owners, suppliers, and volunteers who sourced and prepared food for storm victims in Houston. As of this week, the group is now connecting kitchens and shelters directly after facilitating over 250,000 meals post-storm. In the wake of Hurricane Irma in Florida (and, presumably, others to come), the group behind the site and service have released a guide for others in the hospitality industry who may face disasters of similar scope. The team's Disaster Plan for Restaurant Communitiesoutlines the entire process, from preparing for a storm or other disaster to the logistics of preparing and distributing meals. (The team will continue to update this document with additional learnings and recommendations.) Restaurant and hospitality communities are built on the foundation of bringing people together; trying times are no exception. |
 STS Top 20 Events nominations for April-May-June deadline Oct. 13
The deadline for nominating events for Southeast Tourism Society's Top 20 events for April-May-June is Oct. 13. 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 via this link: https://form.jotform.us/71666628984171. 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 $20 entry fee per event nomination and requirements include submitting two copies of the nomination form, in addition to supporting materials. |
Creating a sustainable supply chain at breweries
During a recent visit with Aviator Brewing Company in Fuquay-Varina, NC GreenTravel was pleasantly surprised at the great strides the brewery has made in environmental sustainability. Most notably, the company has developed a well-tuned Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing system. This means that the brewery has carefully mapped out their material needs well ahead of time and orders only those it can use for each brewing run. This prevents waste by assuring that only the freshest ingredients are used and reduces the production time. Also, grain is delivered in bulk, instead of in bags, eliminating the need for recycling or disposing those bags. All the wooden pallets received are used to ship products out so no pallets go to waste. As with most breweries, the spent grain is given to farmers to feed their livestock. All Aviator's beer kegs are returned for cleansing and reuse. Very little material from Aviator goes to the landfill. Creating a sustainable business can be much easier than one may think. For more ideas about becoming a green business, contact NC GreenTravel Manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140. |
| | On North Carolina Weekend for the week of Sept. 14, take in "Georgia O'Keeffe: Living Modern," an exhibit at Reynolda House Museum of American Art in Winston-Salem. Enjoy the Day at the Docks: Community Heritage Celebration in Hatteras. Tour the Lodge on Lake Lure in Lake Lure. Discover Wilmington's arts scene during its Fourth Friday Gallery Walk. And the "House Special" samples the fare at Pizzeria Mercato in Carrboro. (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. | Ninety percent of all domestic overnight visitors came to North Carolina for leisure purposes, while 8 percent of visitors came to conduct business (includes meeting/convention). The remaining two percent indicated "other" reason for visiting the state. For more North Carolina visitor information, visit the Visitor Profile Studies or contact Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748. |
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Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events
through Sept. 14 - Blue Ridge Parkway Assn. Fall Meeting, Little Switzerland Sept. 16-20 - VMA/NCMA/MCASC Regional Meeting, Roanoke, Va. Sept. 17-18 - NCTIA Tourism Leadership Conference, Charlotte Sept. 21 - Visit NC TRAC, Washington Oct. 26 - NC Coast Host Quarterly Meeting, Wilson Nov. 9-10 - MPC-CC Meeting, Greensboro |
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