The Blockade Runner Beach Resort in Wrightsville Beach is set to undergo renovations and rebrand as Trailborn Surf & Sound in the coming months. Renovations began earlier this month on the 151-room hotel, which has operated at 275 Waynick Blvd. in Wrightsville Beach since 1964. When renovations wrap up in early 2025, the hotel will be rebranded as Trailborn Surf &am ...

Officials with Hilton hotel brand Tru by Hilton recently announced the opening of one of their hotels in Wilmington. The 107-room Tru by Hilton hotel, located at 5001-A Market St., is owned by North Carolina-based CN Hotels and managed by McKibbon Hospitality. “We are incredibly honored to join the Tru by Hilton brand and introduce travelers to this innovative ...

The Wilmington Convention Center marked a milestone recently with the return Aug. 6 of the N.C. Healthcare Engineers Association’s Annual Conference & Exhibition. The NCHEA holds the distinction of being the first convention group to sign a multi-year contract with the Wilmington Convention Center in April 2010, before it opened later that year, according to a ...

Tourist spending in New Hanover County added up to more than $1 billion last year, according to a study released this week. Domestic and international visitors to and within the county spent more than $1.1 billion in 2023, an increase of 5.9% from 2022 spending, a news release from the Wilmington and Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau stated. Accor ...

A new airline is breezing into Wilmington International Airport. Discount carrier Breeze Airways is scheduled to begin offering four nonstop routes at ILM in February 2025, according to a news release issued Wednesday. The destinations include Hartford, Connecticut; Orlando, Florida; Fort Myers, Florida; and Providence, Rhode Island. Breeze Airways is ILM’s thi ...

Tourism is on the menu at a local hospitality's luncheon meeting Wednesday. The Wilmington Area Hospitality Association (WAHA) is hosting Heidi Walters, the senior director of partner and industry relations for Visit NC. The WAHA luncheon, which requires reservations, begins at 11:30 a.m. at Bluewater Waterfront Grill, 4 Marina St. in Wrightsville Beach. "Th ...

Dylan Weston didn’t really want to watch the Wilmington-shot TV series One Tree Hill. His wife, Adrienne, convinced him to give it a whirl, and after two episodes, he was hooked. The couple traveled to Wilmington about five years ago for the sole purpose of visiting the backgrounds used in the drama, which aired from 2003 to 2012. And when they traveled to Tops ...

A Wilmington-based firm recently announced plans to build an additional hotel in northern Brunswick County with the help of another Wilmington company. Crown Hotel & Travel Management has entered into a purchase and sale agreement for a site in Leland that's adjacent to its Tru by Hilton hotel that opened in November 2023. Crown currently manages th ...

In the upcoming fiscal year, tourism officials will continue devoting dollars to getting the word out about the Wilmington area outside of North Carolina. This year’s budget for the Wilmington and Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau includes funding the third year of an out-of-state tourism marketing initiative, said Kim Hufham, CVB president and CEO. The in ...

Three New Hanover County island beaches are featured among the top four “Best Beaches in North Carolina” in a recent USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice travel award contest. Best Beach nominees were announced in late April. Over the next four weeks readers of USA Today voted daily for their favorite beaches to determine the winners, according to a news r ...