CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Visit North Carolina is launching a new film campaign, aiming to bring more visitors to the state as tourism bounces back.
Visit North Carolina's 'Firsts That Last Film Series’ seeks to show the meaningful experiences travelers can have here. The series is based on people's true experiences on their first vacation to North Carolina.
"Seeing is believing so our goal with these films is to make them see how important it is that they choose North Carolina for their next upcoming trip and what it will mean to them and their friends and family that they bring with them,” Scott Peacock, director of marketing for Visit North Carolina, said.
Visit North Carolina is hoping these short films, made in partnership with documentary filmmakers across the state, capture the interest of tourists and create a connection to North Carolina.
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According to Visit North Carolina, 80% of North Carolina’s first-time travelers return to the state. Enduring connections explain why so many of North Carolina’s first-time travelers return to the state again and again, according to Visit NC Director Wit Tuttell.
"There's really no other place that can offer you any kind of experience that you might want on the East Coast, and that's why North Carolina, we feel, offers a great opportunity for those first memories and those first experiences that will last a lifetime and make you want to come back to North Carolina year after year after year,” Peacock said.
The state is looking to rebound from the devastating toll COVID-19 took on tourism in 2020. Visitor spending in North Carolina dropped 32% in 2020 amid the pandemic to $19.96 billion, according to Visit North Carolina.
Through it all though, North Carolina managed to hang on to its spot as the fifth most visited state in the country, behind New York, Texas, Florida, and California, thanks in part to its destinations with outdoor activities.
"We were able to kind of gain that market share, you know, that we maybe lost from the urban areas in the outdoors and nature that we have to offer where restrictions don't matter as much,” Peacock said. “You don't have to wear your mask, you know, at times when you're out in the, you know, hiking in the wilderness or when you are on the beach, etc."
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Peacock said urban areas like Charlotte are making a strong comeback this year, with business travel, conventions, festivals, live music concerts, big events, and more resuming once again.
Charlotte is expected to be featured in the next few months in the 'Firsts That Last Film Series.' The series can be viewed on VisitNC.com.
Contact Kendall Morris at kmorris2@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.