Wake County tourism report shows strong figures ahead of holiday stretch

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Visit Raleigh released its third quarter Wake County Tourism Industry Report on Thursday, showcasing year-over-year growth across several sectors.

"We continue to stay the course in knowing what markets really like to come to Raleigh, whether it's youth and amateur sports or Esports. Whether it's meetings or conventions that really are aligned to our key industry segments here, whether it's life science, clean tech. And also some super exciting events around concerts," said Loren Gold, Executive Vice President of the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Through September, hotel lodging tax collections were up 7.3% year-to-date, and hotel occupancy was up 2.1% year-to-date. In Wake County, hotel occupancy is at 70.2%, higher than the statewide average of 62.7% and national average of 64%.

"We have hotels in a couple of markets in the state, and downtown Raleigh for several quarters was lagging behind other parts of the community and really other parts of the state. And in the last three or four quarters, we've really seen things start to pick up, which is really, really encouraging," said Russ Jones, a Partner with Loden Hospitality, which operates three hotels in Raleigh.

Jones spoke with ABC11 from The Longleaf Hotel on N. Dawson Street, which has capitalized off downtown events.

"It was nice to see Red Hat get voted to stay downtown. That's huge for us and huge for downtown in general. Third quarter for us was about Red Hat, and we did really, really well. When they have shows, we typically do double the amount of business we would otherwise do," said Jones.

During this quarter, Visit Raleigh and Greater Raleigh Sports Authority booked 137 events for future dates, set to bring in 111,700 room nights and generate a projected $75 million in economic impact.

"I would say the Triangle area is having a real moment right now in the hospitality space. People are really looking at us from a national perspective. Adding the Convention Center Hotel, expanding the Convention Center, those are really, really strong signs for Raleigh. I think we're in for a pretty dynamic ten years or so of hospitality in this market for us," Jones said.

"A lot of times we hear the story that they came into town for insert reason here, and they fell in love with it and chose to move here," said Anna Grace Fitzgerald, owner of Copperline Plant Co.

The business moved from City Market to Hargett Street earlier this year, a move Fitzgerald says has been positive for business. Now, they're hoping to finish the year on a high note.

"I can't put words into how important (holiday sales are). Plants are a bit of non-traditional gifts for folks, but we really try to lean into the reasons why you may want to give a plant or get a plant," said Fitzgerald.

The National Retail Federation projects holiday spending to grow between 2.5 and 3.5% over last year, which would represent the sixteenth consecutive year of growth, though the lowest figure since 2018.

Visit Raleigh noted prepared food and beverage tax collections were up 3.4% through September compared to the same time last year.

"Downtown Raleigh, we saw the potential for it. Many people are saying it's a very good place and it's growing," said Alberto Barcenas, owner of El Toro Loco Taqueria, which opened on S. Blount Street in August.

After starting as a food truck, Barcenas acknowledged challenges in spreading awareness of their new location, while emphasizing the importance of large-scale events and tourism in drawing in diners.

"We try to bring out samples to the people who are walking out and hand out menus," said Barcenas.