Tourism Talk blog

Ah, Dorian. You threatened and howled, but all in all, we fared pretty well in our neck of the North Carolina woods in the wake of your fury. But we also know we’re not out of hurricane season yet, and there may be some additional stormy weather headed our way. With that in mind, here are...

Once a year or so, I overhear someone say that the Raleigh area doesn't have a brand. Having been project manager for development of the Raleigh, N.C., Destination Brand Strategy in 2014-2015, however, I know that we have at least one brand platform countywide! The problem is that we...

The 2019 GRCVB Annual Meeting, “Why Tourism Matters,” is in the books. Here are some scenes from our favorite day of the year. The theme What we hoped our guests would take away from this event was summarized in the theme—Why Tourism Matters—specifically how visitors and...

If you haven’t had a chance yet, you still have a few days to register for GRCVB’s Annual Meeting on Wed., Aug. 21, 2019, at the Raleigh Convention Center. (Registration closes on Wed., Aug. 14, 2019). We hope you have noticed that the theme of the ticketed luncheon is “Why...

The Wake County Destination Strategic Plan (DSP) is garnering international attention. The Destinations International Annual Convention is happening this week in St. Louis, where over 1,400 representatives from convention and visitors bureaus from around the world will be attending. I have been

Invitations for the 2019 GRCVB Annual Meeting are in the mail queue (both snail mail and email). If you haven’t gotten yours already, be watching for it to appear in the next few days. We love Annual Meeting season around here because it’s our chance to show area hospitality partners,...

There were some important staff announcements out of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance office recently that Wake County partners need to know. ....... Raleigh, N.C. – The Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA) has promoted Tori Collins to director and Jason Philbeck to associate director....

I’m taking the opportunity today to brag about a couple of my coworkers, specifically senior marketing manager Derek Allman, CHIA, and content marketing manager Michael Robson. I consider them to be Internet marketing wunderkinds, being in the early phases of their careers but having great...

We are joining with the U.S. Travel Association this week to celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW). You have heard us say this before, but Tourism Matters. And here's why... Why travel matters in Raleigh, N.C. We pass popular tourist sites like Marbles Kids Museum every day; we may...

Last month, my report included updates about Wake County Hospitality Tax Review stakeholders meetings. Two additional meetings have taken place since then. On Feb. 28, 2019: Raleigh Convention Center presented the need for improvements at Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts and the