Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners
September 26, 2018
IN THIS ISSUE:
* #CAREolinas continues momentum to help
* Eastern N.C.-based MYMUs rescheduled for Plymouth, Oct. 16, & Jacksonville, Oct. 17
* TRAC coming to Sanford/Lee County region Oct. 11
#CAREolinas continues momentum to help

Since Hurricane Florence first arrived on both the North and South Carolina shores, #CAREolinas has become a shared message of support from Visit North Carolina and Discover South Carolina, and our communities, visitors and residents. The goal for this campaign is to connect recovery efforts and stories as the Carolinas unify to rebound from Florence. Visit North Carolina has been working to ensure that this movement has received regional and national coverage to help connect and amplify efforts across the two states. Notably stories included "North Carolina, After the Storm: What Travelers Need to Know," which appeared in the Travel section of The New York Times, noted the Outer Banks were "open for business," plus mentioned VisitNC.com's frequently update page on the hurricane; "How You Can Help in the Aftermath of Hurricane Florence" appeared in Garden & Gun.
 
Visit NC continues to encourage everyone to join the #CAREolinas Facebook group's efforts by
  • Tagging relevant social media posts with #CAREolinas to share the indomitable spirit of the Carolinas as everyone recovers from this storm and its aftermath.
  • Sharing volunteer opportunities and positive stories of recovery in affected areas.
  • Posting available resources and accessibility updates for their area
  • Scanning for "in search of" posts from people and organizations to see if there's somewhere to help connect resources and help create support and great stories
  • Donating directly to each state's official Florence relief funds, with links to both on CAREolinas.com.
  • Purchasing a #CAREolinas t-shirt, produced in partnership with Recover Brands. All net proceeds go to storm recovery via the official disaster relief funds equally across both Carolinas. Recover is based in Charlotte and has printing operations in Spartanburg, S.C. Nearly 7,000 shirts have been sold to date.
MYMU in Wilkesboro this week
Eastern N.C.-based MYMUs rescheduled for Plymouth, Oct. 16, & Jacksonville, Oct. 17
 
Due to Hurricane Florence, Visit NC's Mid-Year Marketing Updates in the eastern part of the state were postponed. New dates for these meetings have been set with the Visit NC team visiting Plymouth on Oct. 16 and Jacksonville on Oct. 17; the times for each session are being finalized. Registration is open to all tourism-related businesses who are interested in attending either 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. The eastern meetings will also focus on efforts to promote the area in the aftermath of Florence.
A previous TRAC in Dobson
TRAC coming to Sanford/Lee County region Oct. 11
 
OnOct. 11, tourism-related businesses in Sanford and Lee County - plus 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 North Carolina's Tourism Resource Assistance Center (TRAC) is a community-based training program designed to help small tourism-related businesses. TRAC will be held 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center, located at 1801 Nash St. in Sanford.
 
There is no charge to attend, no reservation is required, and there is no PowerPoint presentation. 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 North Carolina'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 North Carolina and its partners.
 
Representatives from the EDPNC's BLNC, N.C. Welcome Centers/Visitor Services, N.C. State Parks, Agritourism, and NC GreenTravel are often 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 AndrĂ© Nabors at (919) 447-7771.
RetireNC promoted in D.C. region
 
Visit NC's André Nabors, along with partners from Edenton, promoted North Carolina as a retirement destination at the Ideal-Living Resort & Retirement Expo in Tysons Corner, Va., this past weekend. The Expo drew more than 900 potential retirees from the region who were interested in exploring opportunities and conversing with exhibitors from across the Southeast. Attendees talked with experts from towns and community developers to gain insights and get answers to help plan, design and enjoy their retirement. North Carolina has consistently been one of the most requested states by the attendees.
 
Visit North Carolina attended the Expo to continue its efforts to promote the N.C. Certified Retirement Community Program, which consists of Asheboro, Eden, Edenton, Elizabeth City, Jamestown/High Point, Laurinburg, Lenoir, Lumberton, Marion, Mount Airy, New Bern, Pittsboro, Reidsville, Roanoke Rapids, Sanford, Tarboro, Washington and Winterville. For more information about the Certified Retirement Community Program or Visit North Carolina's marketing initiatives for retirement relocation, contact Andre Nabors at (919) 447-7771.
N.C. Film Office, regional film commissions attend annual AFCI Cineposium

North Carolina Film Office Director Guy Gaster, as well as representatives from the Piedmont Triad Film Commission and the Charlotte Regional Film Commission, attended the annual Association of Film Commissioners International's (AFCI) education conference, Cineposium, held at the Sheraton Universal in the greater Los Angeles area.  The 2-day conference, held September 21-22, took a look at topics such as diversity on the set, new distribution platforms for productions, and promoting the benefits of filming in an area beyond incentives.

In addition to the conference, participants from North Carolina were also part of a Business-to-Business day (Sept 20) hosted at Netflix in which ten different production companies presented about what they are currently working on and how film commissions can best promote themselves for consideration by the companies.

While in the area, Gaster also conducted several meetings with production companies that had recently requested more information about filming in the state, promoting the recent enhancements to the state's film and entertainment grant program as well as the state's strong infrastructure and crew base.
Durham's food scene featured in PBS show

A new national documentary on PBS celebrates Durham and its food scene. Go behind-the-scenes with celebrated local chefs on Food Town: Durham, premiering tomorrow (Thursday) at 9:30 p.m., on UNC-TV. The program is described as "A day in Durham is sliced, fried, and diced into a fast-paced countdown of 24 hours inside the Bull City's hip and happening restaurant scene. Viewers meet the eccentrics, gastro-nerds and entrepreneurs who helped create the South's recently-crowned "Tastiest Town." Packed with flavorful explorations from sunup to sundown, go inside kitchens and dining rooms."
Hester now director for Vance County TDA

Pam Hester is the new director for the Vance County TDA. She may be contacted at (252) 438-2222 or via

Incorporating the local agriculture of North Carolina

One of the many reasons that visitors travel to North Carolina is because of its natural and scenic landscapes. One of the best opportunities visitors have to interact directly with the land is through local agriculture. Preserving and supporting local agriculture has many environmental benefits and is becoming an increasingly popular tourism activity. There are many opportunities to incorporate agriculture as part of your attraction or accommodation. Restaurants can complement dishes with local meats and produce, especially with the seasonal change, by using such autumn-related produce as sweet potatoes and butternut squash. Hotels and B&Bs can partner with local farmers to offer farm tours or cooking classes with vegetables guests pick themselves. Historical sites can educate visitors about historical agriculture with small on-site gardens. For more information on agritourism opportunities, click here. For information about buying local and its impact on North Carolina's tourism industry, contact NC GreenTravel Initiative manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140.
For the week of Sept. 27 on North Carolina Weekend, the program continues its new schedule that will preview the format for the new season, which starts in October. North Carolina Weekend will run 8 episodes, one each week, and then repeat those episodes for the next 8 weeks.
 
So this week's episode is a repeat of the one that aired the week of July 25. It will feature historic Bath, the apple scene in the Hendersonville area, the N.C. Pottery Center in Seagrove, the American Museum of the House Cat in Sylva, and the HeArt Gallery in Jacksonville, (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.
The average travel party size for daytrip visitor parties to North Carolina was 1.9 people.  Twenty-one percent of travel parties to the state included children in the party. For more North Carolina visitor information, visit the Visitor Profile Studies, or contact Visit NC's Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748.
Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events

Oct. 1-4 - TEAMS Conference & Expo, Louisville, Ky.
Oct. 11 - Visit NC's TRAC, Sanford
Oct. 18-19 - AENC Fall Conference, Durham
Oct. 22-25 - National Trails Conference, Vancouver, Wash.
Oct. 23-25 - Marketing Outlook Forum, Las Vegas, Nev.
Oct. 29-30 - NC TIA Leadership Conference, Winston-Salem
Nov. 5-7 - World Travel Market, London, U.K.
Nov. 6 - Visit NC Travel & Tourism Board Meeting, TBD
Nov. 7-9 - AARC Annual Conference, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Nov. 8-9 - MPI-CC Meeting, Spartanburg, S.C.
Nov. 15 - NC Coast Host Quarterly Meeting, Currituck
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