Winston-Salem celebrates National Travel & Tourism Week

WINSTON-SALEM, NC (May 2, 2025) — National Travel & Tourism Week is May 4–10, and Visit Winston-Salem is marking the occasion by celebrating major milestones and unprecedented tourism growth over the past year. Since July 2024, the city has seen an 11% rise in hotel revenue — topping the list of Southeast destinations.

This momentum is fueled, in part, by the launch of Visit Winston-Salem’s new advertising campaign, “Twice as nice…come on in.” The campaign showcases Winston-Salem as a fun and appealing place to visit. Combined with strategic efforts to attract meetings, groups, and sporting events, the campaign is  delivering impressive results:

  • VisitWinstonSalem.com is on pace to reach 2 million sessions this year, a tenfold jump from 2023's total user sessions of 200,000

  • Media coverage secured by Visit Winston-Salem’s PR team has generated more than 1.2 billion impressions—a 935% increase over last year’s total of 116 million

  • Paid media campaigns have generated more than 40 million impressions and 1 million clicks—driving a 199% increase in users and a 196% increase in sessions from paid advertising.

“The extraordinary results are more than just numbers—they represent real revenue for local businesses,” said Stephanie Pace Brown, president and CEO of Visit Winston-Salem (VWS). “Our new ad campaign sets us apart by capturing the spirit of our community—genuine, easygoing, resilient, and proud of what makes us different. Seeing this kind of early success alongside record-breaking tourism growth is incredibly rewarding for our city.”

Tourism continues to be a powerful economic engine locally. According to the latest data from Tourism Economics, a leading industry analyst, visitors spent a record $1.05 billion in Forsyth County in 2023—an increase of 6.9% over the previous year. This generated $72.6 million in state and local tax revenue and supported 6,753 local jobs.

National Travel & Tourism Week (NTTW) is an annual celebration of the power of travel to fuel economic growth, support jobs, and enrich communities. Throughout the week, VWS will highlight the impact of tourism while encouraging residents to explore and support local attractions and events. The campaign underscores a simple message: Tourism Works Here—fueling jobs and enriching life for all who call Winston-Salem home.

MEDIA NOTES

• Interviews: Visit Winston-Salem President & CEO Stephanie Pace Brown and Chief Marketing Officer Brandy Evans are available for interviews to discuss NTTW and recent tourism milestones.

• Media Assets: B-roll video clips, Winston-Salem logos and photos, NTTW logos, and samples of “Twice as nice” campaign creative are available to download here.

About Visit Winston-Salem
Visit Winston-Salem is the official tourism marketing agency for Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, dedicated to attracting visitors for the economic benefit of the community. Established in 1983 as the Forsyth County Tourism Development Authority (TDA), it was one of North Carolina’s first five tourism development agencies. The organization promotes the city as a premier destination for leisure travel, meetings, conventions, group tours, and sporting events. Learn more at VisitWinstonSalem.com