TRAVEL & TOURISM
UPDATE IS
PUBLISHED BY THE
NORTH CAROLINA
DIVISION OF
TOURISM,
FILM AND SPORTS
DEVELOPMENT.
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2004 NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR'S
CONFERENCE ON TOURISM
The NC Division of Tourism,
Film and Sports Development
will hold its annual Governor's
Conference on Tourism at the
Westin Charlotte, April 5-7.
This year, keynote speaker
Ed Barlow, CEO of Creating
the Future Inc., will open the
conference with his presenta¬
tion entitled, "Creating a
Competitive Economic Advan¬
tage Through Tourism." Busi¬
ness analyst Delos Smith will
follow up with a presentation entitled, "Business As Usual in Times That
Aren't." The conference also features an open forum
on important issues facing the tourism industry. For
more information, including registration instruc¬
tions, visit the Governor's Conference Web site
at www, nccommerce.com/tourism/aovconf.
FIRST FLIGHT CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
• •••••••••••••••••••••••
The Westin Charlotte
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Thousands of visitors flocked to the Wright Brothers National Memorial
in Kill Devil Hills during the First Flight Centennial Celebration in
December. The park opened for a weeklong event featuring air shows,
displays, live music and entertainment, culminating with a re-enactment
of man's first powered flight. The centennial celebration brought world¬
wide attention to North Carolina and the Outer Banks, and according
to the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, the five-day event generated more
than $14.4 million in visitor expenditures.
NORTH CAROLINA
TOURISM DAY SET
FOR MAY 11
Join the NC Division of Tourism, the Travel
Industry Association of NC, state legislators
and other representatives of the North
Carolina tourism industry as they celebrate
the state's annual Tourism Day Fair on
Tuesday, May 11, on the Halifax Mall in
downtown Raleigh. This event is intended
to emphasize and promote a wider under¬
standing of the importance of travel and
tourism as a major industry, which is vital
to the economic stability and growth of
our state and local communities. It is one
of the many festivities surrounding National
Tourism Week scheduled for May 8-16.
For more information, contact Donna
Daughtry at 91
9/715-6703,
or by email
at ddauqhtry@nccommerce.com.
"DURHAM GRILL"
TO BEGIN FILMING
IN SUMMER 2004
Durham production company TVSouth is
scheduled to begin filming a $6 million
feature comedy titled Durham Grill in the
Bull City starting in mid-summer 2004.
Written by native North Carolinian Clyde
Edgerton and Hollywood screenwriter John
Schulian, the film is based on a group of
Durhamites who thwart the development
plans that some slick New Yorkers have for
their hometown. While the movie's budget
is not as large as some of the major motion
pictures filmed in North Carolina, such as
The Last of the Mohicans and Black Knight,
NC Film Commissioner Bill Arnold says
that Durham Grill will be just as important
to the state's film industry. TVSouth, which
is responsible for producing such hits as
Bull Durham and Tequila Sunrise, will work
with Los Angeles-based RKO Pictures to
produce the film.
Tourism Makes NC
a Better Place to Be