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"COASTAL RESILIENCE"
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Coastal North Carolina has, indeed, been "resilient" with regard to its continued success in attracting the visitor market. Wilmington and Beaches recently announced ROT collections for the 20/21 period were the highest ever with the (3) beaches leading overall increases. Our area continues to draw visitors to its beaches and other outdoor recreation; travelers' perception with regard to safe travel in surveys by Destination Analytics indicate that the two top activities are "taking a road trip and non-team outdoor recreation." A stay in Wilmington fits that criteria perfectly. Promotional messaging by the CVB focused on the outdoors featuring photos and videos of beaches and other outdoor destinations. "Fall is the New Summer" messaging drew visitors into the fall season. While the drive market continues to be the largest segment; the airport also saw numbers of leisure passenger travelers increase and people arrived from greater distances. Going forward, expectation of growth in the leisure travel market can be expected; meetings and conventions, while beginning to see some recovery, are not expected to rebound fully in the next year.
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November Membership Luncheon
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Guest Speakers:
Jud Watkins - Wrightsville Beach Brewery
Ellie Craig - Front Street Brewery
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"How Can We Best Serve the Hospitality Industry" Survey
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Many of your have already responded to a survey that our Board Member, Alexia Franzidis, Associate Professor at UNCW who teaches courses related to Tourism, Hospitality and Events Management.
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There's still time to enjoy one free month of membership!
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INVOICES FOR DUES IN THE AMOUNT OF $150 WILL BE SENT OUT IN DECEMBER, AND DUE BY JANUARY 31, 2022.
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Joining is worthwhile! We are working on a roster of speakers to provide you with the most up-to-date industry information and members receive a discount rate of $25 for luncheon meetings ($35 non-members in 2022)
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WILMINGTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Wilmington International Airport (ILM) is pleased to see a strong rebound in passenger numbers
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American, Delta and United have reinstated numerous routes and increased capacity to/from ILM.
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ILM has outperformed their peers and the nation in keeping airlines' attention during the pandemic. According to analysis by Ailevon Pacific Aviation Consulting (APAC) seat capacity at ILM (during April 2020-August 2021) is higher than peer airports as well as airports throughout the United States.
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Based on TSA passenger throughput in July, ILM exceeded the national average by 21 percentage points, and exceeded pre-Pandemic demand.
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Demand remains leisure-oriented.
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NATIONAL OVERVIEW*
July travel spending rallied to $98.5 billion and reflected a drop of just 6.5% below July 2019 levels, a significant improvement from earlier months.
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As a result of increased uncertainty (due to the Delta variant), upcoming travel plans have negatively been impacted for 35% of American travelers.
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Willingness to travel for business is holding steady with more than three-quarters (77%) willing to travel in the current environment.
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Hotel demand is almost fully recovered at -4% below July 2019 (but uneven across destinations.)**
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Air Passengers, driven by leisure travel demand, is still -20% over July 2019 levels.***
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*US Travel Association, Monthly Travel Data Report, August 31, 2021
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**Our Area continues to report higher-than-average ROT returns from accommodation stays.
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*** Statistics from ILM indicate that passenger throughput exceeded pre-Pandemic levels.
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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
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WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH BREWERY
Wrightsville Beach Brewery is vested in making great craft beer, environmental stewardship and donating to community non-profits. After being open for (4) years, by early 2021, they had donated approximately $100,000 to local nonprofit organizations. Their dining menu includes locally caught fish as well as an extensive array of appetizers, pizzas and entrees. Enjoy live musical entertainment and prize-winning craft beers in a friendly appealing environment!
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WAHA Members in Craft Beer Industry to recommend to visitors
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