NC Tourism Leaders Promote Holiday Travel Safety

WUNC | By Will Michaels

Published November 19, 2020 at 8:42 AM EST

Leaders of North Carolina's tourism industry group are trying to promote their campaign to keep consumers safe during the pandemic as they expect a drop in travel this holiday season.

The state's tourism industry group says nearly 4,000 businesses have signed on to a campaign promoting consumer safety during the pandemic. Visit North Carolina has been promoting its Count on Me NC program, which has provided training about proper physical distancing, hand-washing and mask wearing. Ads encourage customers to look for the "Count on Me NC" label.

During a webinar yesterday, Allison Schult of Visit NC told colleagues she wants to improve the group's outreach as the holidays approach.

"I would love to be doing more to help those restaurants and any retail-facing business who's gone through the program who's taken that extra step to keep North Carolina safe," she said.

Marlise Taylor of Visit North Carolina says a recent survey showed a majority of travelers believe the pandemic will get worse in the next month. The survey found about 60 percent of Americans say they would not be able to fully enjoy travel this holiday season.

"This sentiment is certainly going to affect holiday travel as well," Taylor said. "When asked this week about upcoming travel, only 30 percent say they have plans for holiday travel this season."

The average number of new daily COVID-19 cases in North Carolina has risen sharply since September. Governor Roy Cooper's administration has encouraged people to reconsider holiday travel plans.