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 to foreign individual travelers and to promote RDU International Airport’s nonstop international flights, including the new Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt, Copa Airlines from Panama City and Aeromexico from Mexico City.

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

Wrote press releases and pitches strategically distributed to target media outlets locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. Releases focused on topics ranging from blockbuster festivals and museum exhibitions, music, sports, parks and culture, the newly launched Outdoor Mural Trail and new culinary offerings in Wake County. 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

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, N.C., as a travel destination. Because of the area's growing editorial appeal, the Public Relations and International Tourism Department hosted more than 40 credentialed and freelance media from domestic and international publications. The department also hosted FAMs with city-wide events like Dreamville Festival and IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC and new flight launches with airlines like Lufthansa and Copa Airlines.
 

Earned media coverage

As a result of the media relations efforts mentioned above, the department secured more than 500 earned media placements, generating more than 2.5 billion impressions. The stellar media coverage for the Raleigh area further amplified these successes, showcasing it as a premier leisure, meeting and sports destination. Placements included a diverse range of national and international publications such as The New York Times, National Geographic, ESPN, USA TODAY, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, Hemispheres, ESSENCE, Forbes, Time Out, Our State Magazine, The Local Palate, Atlanta Magazine, Philadelphia Magazine, TravelPulse, The Mail on Sunday, Meetings Today, Black Meetings and Tourism, Smart Meetings, Sports Destination Management, Sports Business Journal, SportsTravel and others. The media had some great things to say about Raleigh, N.C., this past year as well.
 

International tourism initiatives

In its seventh year, the Public Relations and International Tourism Department aimed its international tourism efforts at 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 six key tradeshows—including Brand USA Travel Week Europe, Travel South International Showcase, TravMedia International Media Marketplace 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 comprehensive, multichannel marketing campaign with Hotelbeds in conjunction with Travel South USA and Visit North Carolina aimed at generating hotel room-nights from domestic travelers and future bookings by international travelers in Canada, the U.K. and Germany. In total, the campaign generated more than 4,500 room-nights booked in Wake County (up 47% from last year’s campaign with the most significant increase in the Canadian market).
 

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:

• City of Raleigh Community Engagement Board
• City of Raleigh Western BRT Station Area Planning Group
• 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