COVID-19 - Industry Update 10
April 1, 2020

Greetings to Travel Partners,

As we continue to adapt to our new normal—finding novel ways to communicate and conduct business—the Wilmington and Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau thanks you for your support and contributions to our industry. As a strong and resilient industry, we look forward to brighter days ahead. In the meantime, here are the latest updates.

Current Update

The State of North Carolina and New Hanover County are currently under a statewide Stay at Home Order, along with additional County restrictions, that went into effect at 5:00 p.m. on March 30, 2020: https://news.nhcgov.com/news-releases/2020/03/new-hanover-county-issues-additional-restrictions-to-help-slow-the-spread-of-covid-19/ .

County Stay at Home Orde r FAQ Sheet clarifies questions about essential and non-essential businesses: https://health.nhcgov.com/your-environment/public-health/coronavirus/stay-at-home-order-faqs/ .

Lodging : Lodging properties that are “providing lodging in direct assistance to a governmental or non-profit request for support in COVID-19 emergency response” and/or has extended-stay room rentals over 28 days, should contact the County's call center directly to inquire about receiving a legal variance to operate: 910-798-6800. 

New Travel Research :


Virtual Tours and Events : Even during this time of social distancing there are still ways to experience our destination. The Wilmington and Beaches CVB has launched a new Virtual Tours & Events landing page at www.wilmingtonandbeaches.com/virtual-tours/ . We invite you to share this link with guests, friends, family and visitors inquiring about future travel!

Below are updates from state and county officials, followed by CVB updates and helpful links.

State of North Carolina Updates:



New Hanover County Updates:

New Hanover County State of Emergency - Additional Restrictions and Prohibitions: https://health.nhcgov.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/3-28-2020_COVID-19_Prohibitions_Restrictions.pdf


Wilmington and Beaches CVB Update:

Marketing Update
  • Launched a virtual tours and events website landing page for visitors to discover the experiences waiting for them when the time is right to travel again.
  • Published virtual tour blogs for all four destinations
  • Preparing 2020 Visitor Profile Research Study questionnaire to be distributed to visitor subscriber databases regarding 2019 Wilmington and Beaches travel experiences
  • Reviewing digital style guide for new website
  • Began preparation of summer seasonal landing pages for the website

Ways You Can Assist the CVB :
  • Inform CVB of your business closings / re-openings / occupancy levels
  • Inform CVB of meeting/event cancelations due to COVID-19
  • Respond to CVB surveys (answers are confidential; we report total percentages, trends)
  • Share your virtual events, activities and tours for future content consideration. Send details to [email protected]. The CVB will share these along with other best practices in a future Industry Update. For example, on April 1, 3 and 4, the N.C. Azalea Festival will celebrate spring with ‘virtual’ festival events via its FaceBook page: www.facebook.com/NorthCarolinaAzaleaFestival

Wilmington and Beaches COVID-19 Resource Pages :

C VB COVID-19 Visitor Information : www.wilmingtonandbeaches.com/covid-19-visitor-info

COVID-19 Hospitality Employer & Employee Information : www.wilmingtonandbeaches.com/covid-19-hospitality-resources

ADDITIONAL COVID-19 RESOURCES:

Below, please find some additional COVID-19 resources. To see previously listed resources, please refer to past Industry Updates or you can access a complete list via the Partner Extranet.

STATE & FEDERAL ASSISTANCE:

N.C. Department of Commerce Employment Security - Tip Sheet for Filing for Unemployment Due to COVID-19: https://files.nc.gov/des/filing-for-unemployment-due-to-covid-19-tip-sheet_mar26.pdf

N.C. Department of Revenue - Expands Penalty Relief for Taxpayers Affected by COVID-19: https://files.nc.gov/ncdor/documents/files/2020-3-31-Important-Notice-COVID-4.pdf

The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC) is posting and updating a list of current companies with job openings across the state. Some industries are ramping up production during the crisis and have immediate openings: https://edpnc.com/north-carolina-immediate-employment-opportunities/

U.S. Small Business Association Disaster Loan Assistanc e - COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Application: https://covid19relief.sba.gov/#/

U.S. Department of Labor - Guidance on Paid Sick Leave and FMLA Requirements in the Families First Act: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic

US Department of Labor - New Guidance on Unemployment Insurance Flexibilities during COVID-19 Outbreak: www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20200312-0


TRAVEL INDUSTRY UPDATES & RESOURCES

Visit N.C . recently hosted an excellent webinar entitled “NC Tourism Amid COVID-19”that covered current issues facing our industry, followed by a Q&A. It is now available online, free-of-charge, at http://partners.visitnc.com/COVID-19 and https://www.visitnc365.com/ .

The N.C. Restaurant & Lodging Association continues to follow the various relief packages being offered to small businesses including restaurants and hotels. These two helpful one-pagers provide a quick overview of the provisions included in the CARES Act for Small Businesses.



U.S. Travel Association COVID-19 CARES Act Relief Resources : www.ustravel.org/toolkit/covid-19-cares-act-relief-resources

WEBINAR: U.S. Travel Association webinar on the CARES Act Federal Stimulus : https://vimeo.com/402365872

National Restaurant Association CARES Act Summary for Restaurants:   https://restaurant.org/Covid19_CARES-Act?mc_cid=8f6853e146&mc_eid=55c4622a68


American Hotel & Lodging Association - CARES Act Summary for Lodging : www.ahla.com/sites/default/files/3.27.2020%20CARES%20Act%20Section%20by%20Section%20Summary%20%28002%29.pdf

Southeast Tourism Society - Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act:

Center for Disease Control (CDC) Travel Health (updated frequently): wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

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 Thank you for keeping the CVB informed. Your feedback is very important and helps us to respond to industry needs and concerns as the situation evolves.
Be well, keep safe and stay tuned,

 
 
C onnie Nelson
PR/Communications Director
Wilmington and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau
505 Nutt Street, Unit A
Wilmington, NC 28401
(P)(910) 341.4030 x120
1121 N. Lake Park Blvd.
Carolina Beach, NC 28428
910-458-8434
www.PleasureIslandNC.org