• By Todd Luck
• Posted Thursday, December 13, 2018

Winston-Salem on Forbes ‘Best Places to Travel’ list

Winston-Salem is among the top destinations listed in Forbes ’ “Where To Go Next: 14 Best Places To Travel In The US In 2019.”

Forbes Senior Contributor Laura Begley Bloom reached out to 14 travel experts and influencers to compile the list. Winston-Salem was included with many major destinations around the country.

“We were thrilled to see Winston-Salem in the company of such other popular destinations, such as New York City, Nashville, Fort Lauderdale, Charleston (S.C.) and Baltimore, just to name a few,” said Richard Geiger, president of Visit Winston-Salem. “This positive third-party endorsement reinforces our marketing efforts are gaining traction allowing us to further leverage additional media attention for our community.”

Winston-Salem was picked by Becca Ingle, a family travel blogger from North Carolina. The article cites the city’s walkable and growing downtown, with more than $1.5 billion in revitalization investment in the last ten years. It lists large events the city hosts like the National Black Theatre Festival, Riverrun International Film Festival and the Winston-Salem Open. It also includes cultural and historical attractions like Reynolda House Museum of American Art and Old Salem Museums & Gardens.

Additionally, the article talks about wineries, breweries and restaurants:

“Visitors can enjoy a taste of Winston-Salem, thanks to seven craft breweries in a one-mile radius, more than 80 locally-owned restaurants and cafes (many of which are women-run) and an array of live music venues, eclectic art galleries and innovative cocktail lounges.”

Geiger said Forbes highlighting Winston-Salem helps the city in numerous ways.

“Perhaps the most poignant by-product of this positive tourism media coverage is the Halo effect it produces further elevating the image of Winston-Salem, not only as a place to visit, but also for other economic development objectives, including business relocation, job recruitment and retirement,” he said.