February 2017 Issue:1 In This Issue What's the LRTA Doing for You? Member News It's pretty cold outside but that's great for Pond Hockey, Skiing, Tubing, Sledding and other fun Winter activities! Warm up inside shopping and dining around the region. Any specials or packages for Valentine's Day or February Vacation? We want to know so we can promote you! Email us today! Industry News & Events Travel News Signature Sponsors We are excited to announce a spring intern at the LRTA! Ali Sekou Diallo is a Plymouth State intern who will be working during his spring semester. Raised in a small village called Karegorou in the Republic of Niger in Western Africa, Ali brings tourism experience from Africa and the United States. He has worked with two of our members Grappone Conference Center and the M/S Mount Washington Cruises. We look forward to having Ali at the association. LRTA Staff 376 Central Street Franklin, NH 03235 603-931-4775 info@outdoornewengland.com OutdoorNewEngland.com Get outside on Land, Flatwater or Whitewater with ONE! Come Play or Learn with NH's only whitewater outfitter! 76 Middleton Road Wolfeboro, NH 03894 603-998-3054
603-998-3983 www.greyshinglescamps.com robin@greyshinglescamps.com Five beautiful acres, Five renovated camps, Lakefront cottage, 1920's Rec Hall, Private Beach, Kayaks, Stand up Paddle Boards, Pickleball, Basketball, Volleyball, Campfires, Relax. Renew, Reconnect. Vacation Rentals, Reunions, weddings. Dog friendly with prior approval. Season Rentals May - October. LRTA Executive Director Attends Travel Tradeshow to Promote Region Recently,Amy Landers, LRTA's Executive Director along with Jayne O'Connor, President of White Mountain Attractions attended the Mid-Atlantic Tradeshow in Iceland. The event provided opportunities to meet with tour operators and travel agents from Europe and North America. During the tradeshow, pre-scheduled appointments were held. We had the opportunity to meet with domestic and international tour operators looking to bring groups and FIT's to New England and New Hampshire. Many of these scheduled appointments were potential new tours coming into the area. Many tour operators seek new ideas for incentive trips, senior groups, and upscale corporate meetings. Conveniently located in Iceland, midway between Europe and North America, buyers have the opportunity to work with premium suppliers from Iceland, Europe, USA and Canada. This relaxed environment allows participants to interact in multiple programs and dinner parties as they strive to develop their business relationships. These programs have proven to be a great success in strengthening the ties between thousands of travel professionals. Winter Comcast Promotion Coming Soon! The LRTA is getting ready to launch our Feb & March Winter Comcast Promotion which will reach provide over 1,000,000 target digital impression with a 15 second video clip. The campaign includes sccrolling text at least once per hour on the local on the Weather Channel. and 500,000 impressions in the Xfinity Email center. We have offered a winter getaway which will promoted on the landing page for entries. Winter Photo Contest Launced on Facebook We have just launched our Winter Photo Contest on Facebook. A
similar campaign we ran in the fall generated over 2,000 photo entries. These campaigns help drive potential visitors to our site, increase our social engagement and allow us to collect some great images for future use. LRTA Attends Trade show in the Big Apple We kicked off the Domestic tradeshow circuit at the New York Times Travel Show in January. LRTA Promotes the Region at Domestic Trade Shows In February the LRTA has secured trade show booths and will have a lakes region representative at the Boston Globe Travel Show and the Great Vacation Travel Expo in Columbus Ohio. The rail line that meanders along the banks of the east branch of the Pemigewasset River, as well as the "Pemi" itself, hasn't always been home to a bustling tourist railroad as it is today. In fact, back in the late 1880's, the 22-mile section of rail that connects Lincoln and North Woodstock to the Plymouth area and points south was commissioned as the Pemigewasset Valley Railroad. The historic rail line was given a rebirth of sorts in the mid 1980's when Edward and Brenda Clark decided to leave the family business (Clark's Trading Post) and develop a business of their own. They heard there was interest in reopening the rail line from Plymouth to Lincoln by a railroad group that included Edward M. Clark, Ed Clark's father. He knew that the land that Ed and Brenda had purchased from Herman Sanborn and his sister Sarah Luthie, which was previously part of the Bell Estate, was also previously part of the Deer Park Hotel which they operated. In his heart, the elder Clark knew this land would serve as the ideal site to re-establish a railroad operation. He also had connections with the State of New Hampshire Bureau of Railroads as a holder of a freight operating agreement. After a series of negotiations for financing and track rights, roughly 10 acres of land was cleared from the 20-acre parcel by a team from Loon
Mountain. The Plymouth & Lincoln Railroad was then formed in 1986 with the purpose of operating a tourist railroad out of Lincoln NH - Ed and Brenda Clark were the proud owners. In addition to repairing the track, a new station was needed to operate from. Designed by Ed Clark with help from his longtime friend Jim Fadden, Fadden Construction from neighboring Woodstock built the classically designed railroad station that the business continues to operate from today - nearly 30 years later. There may be snow on the ground up north and cool weather down south now, but the plans for the 2017 Laconia Motorcycle Week are well under way. So think of warm nights, good friends, great riding in one of the most scenic places in America and a week of rocking activities. We are going to be reaching out to you from time to time to keep you in the loop as to all the great things that are going to happen this year, but in the mean time...get Pumped for Laconia Bike Week 2017 happening June 10-18, 2017. To help fulfill America's vacation resolutions this year, CTM Media Group is bringing awareness to the first-ever National Plan for Vacation Day. With the new year kicking off, there's no better time to sit down and map out your vacation days. Beyond the personal and professional benefits, vacations boost local economies and give back to local business owners. Planners have an advantage over non-planners. According to Project: Time Off's The State of American Vacation 2016, planners use more of their time and take longer vacations. 51% of those who plan took all their vacation time, compared to just 39% of non-planners.
69% of planners took a week or more of vacation, compared to just 46% of non-planners. America is jam-packed with attractions, sites and entertaining experiences. There is no better time to kick-start your 2017 vacation plans. Like & Tweet your support for today's national event and start planning your next adventure. #PlanForVacation On Saturday, January 21st the Winnipesaukee Playhouse joined with other professional, community, and youth theatre companies from throughout the state to celebrate the incredible theatre produced in New Hampshire in 2016. We were honored to take home THIRTEEN New Hampshire Theatre Awards across our three divisions! Recently, Steele Hill Resorts in Sanbornton pledged $20,000 toward the Colonial Theater project. Support from local businesses like the resort group, in combination with incentives available through the NH community development investment program, are paving the way towards a successful restoration of the Laconia landmark. Steele Hill stated, ""We are very proud to support the Colonial Theater and look forward to it reopening in the future!" "Our executive team remembers the days when the Colonial was a centerpiece in town and we hope photo (L to R): Justin Slattery, Belknap EDC Executive Director, Doug Cutillo, Vice President at Steele Hill Resorts, Rob Robillard, Vice President of Operations at Steele Hill Resorts, and Justin Cutillo, Vice President at Steele Hill Resorts.. our donation will help reestablish the theater as a new local amenity for our guests and a welcome addition to the region's cultural arts offerings," further stated Steele Hill.
Many employers will soon have to report compensation data categorized by gender, race and ethnicity. The information is being required by the EEOC in an effort to bolster its battle against pay discrimination. The new reporting requirement begins in March 2018 for the 2017 year. This article looks at what it involves. We'll also examine an agreement by a restaurant to pay a fine in a pay discrimination case. Read the full story here New Hampshire received coverage in This Renegade Love and Finding Alexa following visits to the state from two digital influencers from Canada. The articles highlighted New Hampshire's seacoast and lakes regions. On December 15, DRED Commissioner Jeffrey Rose participated in an event at the Littleton Safety Rest Area to commemorate the renaming of the facility, now known as the
Raymond S. Burton Welcome Center. Representative Brad Bailey, who hosted the event, led a series of speakers in honoring the Executive Councilor for his commitment to the State of New Hampshire. Seasonal Safety Rest Areas Reopen for Winter The Colebrook, Littleton, and Lebanon Safety Rest Areas have reopened for the winter season; operating hours at the three centers are Thursday - Monday, 10:00 am - 6:00 pm. The facilities will remain open through March 20, 2017. Early bird online registration is open for the 2017 Discover New England Summit. The early bird registration is only $650 per person and includes all DNE Summit meals and networking events. The early bird exhibitor registration is $1,095 and includes one person. This is $100 off the standard price for both. This year's summit will take place April 24-26, 2017 at the Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods. The Discover New England Tourism Summit is an annual event that allows New England tourism-based businesses to learn how to attract more international travelers and provides a chance to participate in one-on-one introductory meetings with overseas tour operators and U.S. receptive operators. For more information, please visit the Discover New England website. Save the date for the 2017 NH Governor's Conference on Tourism, taking place April 18 at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord. The conference is designed to bring New Hampshire's tourism industry together to share best practices, hear new ideas and reconnect with colleagues. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. The NH Governor's Conference on Tourism is presented by the New Hampshire Travel Council. Please contact info@nhtravelcouncil.com or (603)290-0839 with any questions. Lakes Region Tourism Association of NH, PO Box 737, Tilton, NH 03276