RDU travel surge for graduations, Mother's Day boosts Triangle businesses

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- One of the busiest travel stretches of the year at Raleigh-Durham International Airport is bringing a surge of visitors -- and spending -- to the Triangle.

The airport welcomed nearly 300,000 passengers over a five-day stretch in 2025, as travelers arrived for graduation ceremonies and Mother's Day celebrations.

Across the Triangle, businesses are juggling those events all at once.

"You have graduation, you have Mother's Day, you have birthdays, you have anniversaries, because people are also getting married right now," said Tiera George, owner and lead designer of TG Floristry. "We definitely turn down some weddings for this weekend too. It's a really busy time."

Restaurants are also seeing a boost in customers.

"(Saturday), we saw an increase in guests. And (Sunday), we're expected to double that," said Bryan Tenorio, general manager at Parkside in downtown Raleigh, which is offering Mother's Day specials

Tenorio said changing consumer habits are pushing businesses to focus even more on customer service.

"We make sure all of our servers and bartenders make you feel like you're a friend and a person that important to us," he said.

The increased demand comes as rising fuel prices are driving up operating costs.

"Have we seen an increase in our cost of stuff that we bring in? Yes, but at the end of the day, we make sure we put our customers first," Tenorio said.

He added they work to support other businesses, especially in the Warehouse District.

"We are a very tight group, so we always send each other business. We always talk about each other and make sure everyone's taken care of," explained Tenorio.

At TG Floristry, staff worked through water restrictions and supply challenges.

"Having the drought here and then also having our farmers being impacted by that, we did have to import more of our flowers," George said.

Despite that, George said about 80% of flowers were sourced locally this holiday weekend, with the team working to keep up with demand.

"You're reaching so many people, potentially triple what you would normally reach," George said. "(It's about) making sure that you're still doing the same things and following up in the same ways, so hopefully those orders (increase) even more for next year. I think we've definitely seen that over the last few years."

According to the National Retail Federation, flowers topped the list of expected Mother's Day purchases, with 75% of consumers planning to buy them. Greeting cards followed at 74%, along with special outings like dinner or brunch (63%), gift cards (55%), and clothing (51%). All five categories saw increases compared to 2025.

Total Mother's Day spending is projected to reach a record $38 billion this year -- up more than 11% from 2025 and surpassing the previous high of $35.7 billion in 2023.