Public Relations & International Tourism

Public relations and international tourism summary

Worked directly with local, domestic and international media pitching story ideas, hosting press trips and responding to inquiries to garner positive editorial coverage for Wake County as a destination of choice for leisure visitors, meetings and conventions and sporting events. The department worked with international tour operators and receptives to increase awareness of the area among foreign individual travelers and to promote RDU International Airport’s nonstop international flights, including the new Air Canada flight from Vancouver, WestJet from Calgary and BermudaAir from Bermuda.

Tradeshows and media missions

Hit the road to take the Raleigh, N.C., story to key media marketplaces and missions in strategic target markets—as well as sending electronic pitches to targeted media—the department pitched Raleigh story ideas to journalists both domestically and abroad.

Proactive pitching

Published press releases and pitches strategically distributed to target media outlets locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. Releases focused on topics ranging from parks and culture (like the new Gipson Play Plaza at Dorothea Dix Park), music, festivals and events, museums, sports, conventions and new culinary offerings in Wake County (including the announcement of the upcoming MICHELIN Guide: American South). Greater Raleigh CVB accomplishments and key tourism industry performance indicators also highlighted the role tourism plays in driving broader economic development, talent acquisition and providing job opportunities to the area.
 

Hosting media and trade

Engaged mainstream and emerging travel outlets that consider Raleigh, N.C., an "undiscovered" destination with many new and exciting things happening. There is increased interest in Raleigh as a hidden-gem travel destination. Because of Raleigh’s growing editorial and travel appeal, the Public Relations and International Tourism Department hosted more than 20 credentialed and freelance media from domestic and international publications. The department also hosted FAMs around city-wide events—such as the Dreamville Festival and IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC—as well as international flight promotions with airlines like Lufthansa and Icelandair, along with a Brand USA MegaFAM.

Earned media coverage

As a result of the media relations efforts mentioned above, the department secured more than 600 earned media placements, generating more than 2.9 billion impressions. The stellar media coverage for Raleigh, N.C., further amplified these successes, showcasing the area as a premier leisure, meeting and sports destination. Placements included a diverse range of national and international publications such as Forbes, USA TODAY, The Wall Street Journal, Travel + Leisure, Rolling Stone, TODAY, Good Housekeeping, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, Time Out, Los Angeles Times, AAA, HGTV, ESSENCE, Conde Nast Traveler, Country Living, Thrillist, The Local Palate, Sports Business Journal, SportsTravel, Esports Insider, Northstar Meetings Group, Meetings Today, Passauer Neue Presse (Germany), Le Figaro (France), La Presse (Canada), Panrotas (Brazil) and others. The media had some great things to say about Raleigh this past year as well.
 

International tourism initiatives

In its eighth year, the Public Relations and International Tourism Department focused international tourism efforts on growing foreign individual travel, specifically from key international markets with direct daily flights—Canada, the U.K., France, Germany, Mexico and Central and South America. Initiatives included one-on-one training with foreign tour operators who book individual travel and hosting tour operators for familiarization trips.

Through attending seven key tradeshows—including Brand USA Travel Week Europe and Canada Connect, Travel South events, TravMedia International Media Marketplace (New York City and London) and U.S. Travel Association IPW—the team was able to meet with tour operators, receptives and media, establishing connections and fostering relationships in strategic markets as well as other emerging markets and countries.

The department also executed a multichannel marketing campaign with National Geographic Traveller (UK), aimed at showcasing Raleigh as a unique and authentic travel destination, thereby generating hotel room-nights from international travelers in the UK and Ireland. In total, the campaign generated over 2,500 page views and more than 4.2 million social media impressions.
 

Local advocacy

Built upon relationships with local media, PR professionals, local businesses and partner organizations to further enhance the department’s knowledge and connections to the Raleigh area, as well as reinforce the Greater Raleigh CVB’s status as a reliable source of information for the community and visitors alike.
 

Industry leadership

Served on boards and committees in many key industry associations to position the Greater Raleigh CVB and the Public Relations and International Tourism team as leaders with influence. Organizations included:

• Destinations International Public Relations and Communications Committee
• International Bluegrass Music Association World of Bluegrass Local Organizing Committee
• Raleigh Chamber’s Young Professionals Network and YPN Marketing Task Force
• Raleigh Sister Cities Board of Directors
• Wake County Economic Development Foreign Direct Investment Committee