News and Updates

Get the latest updates, industry insights, and important announcements impacting our state's vibrant hospitality sector. Our goals is to keep you informed about  the policies, trends, and initiatives shaping North Carolina's travel and tourism landscape.

Effective July 1, 2025: New human trafficking awareness requirements for NC vacation rentals

November 6, 2024

House Bill 973 changed the laws relating to human trafficking in lodging establishments and vacation rentals. Starting July 1, 2025, property managers listing vacation rentals in North Carolina must implement a procedure for reporting suspected human trafficking. This new mandate is part of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42A-39(b) and requires property managers, along with their employees and…

Asheville tourism marketing restarts amid worries over a post-Helene ‘economic disaster’

October 31, 2024

Citizen Times: Even as the city remains without clean water after Tropical Storm Helene, the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority and Explore Asheville have restarted marketing efforts as the region braces for sustained economic unrest. After the Biltmore announced it’s reopening date of Nov. 2 and the NC Arboretum’s reopening on Oct. 28, the BCTDA plans to continue…

Raleigh citizens form group to address public safety

October 24, 2024

North State Journal: A concern for public safety in the nation’s third fastest-growing big city has culminated in the formation of Citizens for a Safe and Secure Raleigh, a 501(c)(4) nonpartisan nonprofit organization. Over the last decade, Raleigh’s population has grown by 13%, but the city government’s integral responsibility of keeping its citizens safe and…