2019 Third Quarter Wake County Tourism Industry Report
Wednesday, November 13, 2019, 10am
Strong third quarter has Wake County on pace for record-breaking tax collection numbers.
Raleigh, N.C. (Nov. 13, 2019) – The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Raleigh) has released the Wake County Tourism Industry Report for the third quarter of 2019. Events like the International Bluegrass Music Association’s World of Bluegrass and Wide Open Bluegrass, GalaxyCon and the U.S. Basketball Association National Championships lead to all key performance indicators for the hospitality industry in Wake County being up year-to-date (YTD) over 2018.
Wake County hospitality industry KPIs – according to the Smith Travel Research:
Third Quarter YTD (January 1, 2019 through September 30, 2019)
According to the Smith Travel Research through the third quarter, Occupancy rose 6.3% YTD, Average Daily Rate (ADR) grew 2.7% YTD and Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) increased 9.1% YTD. Heading into the last quarter of the year, Wake County continues to outpace the state in all key performance indicators. Occupancy is also outperforming the national average by nearly 7%.
Events Hosted in Q3 2019:
Together, Visit Raleigh and the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA) hosted 101 conventions, sporting events and groups during the third quarter of 2019 and welcomed more than 160,000 attendees to Raleigh, N.C. A steady third quarter was highlighted by key conventions, sporting events and groups impacting overnight visitation including:
- International Bluegrass Music Association’s World of Bluegrass and Wide Open Bluegrass: combined attendance of 218,301
- GalaxyCon: 37,500 attendees
- U.S. Basketball Association National Championships: 16,650 attendees
- U.S. Specialty Sports Association Atlantic Coast World Series: 5,250 attendees
- American Trucking Association: 1,300 attendees
- USA Archery JOAD National Target Championships: 1,700 attendees
Hospitality Industry Tax Collections in Q3 2019:
As a result of continued increased visitation, YTD through September 30, hotel lodging tax collections totaled more than $23 million, up more than 11% YTD over 2018. Prepared food and beverage tax collections totaled more than $24 million up more than 8% YTD over 2018.
“Tax collections YTD showcase the strong tourism and hospitality industry numbers being produced in our area,” said President and CEO, of Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Raleigh), Dennis Edwards. “Through the third quarter of 2019 hotel occupancy tax collections and prepared food and beverage tax collections are setting up for another record-breaking year in 2019.”
New Business Booked in Q3 2019:
The third quarter was also productive in booking future conventions, sporting events and groups in Wake County as together Visit Raleigh and the GRSA booked 87 groups totaling nearly 100,000 room-nights of future business. YTD Visit Raleigh and the GRSA have booked 285 groups for more than 203,000 room-nights, creating a projected direct economic impact of $142.4 million.
Future meetings, conventions and sporting events booked include:
- visitRaleigh.com Showcase Series: Nov. 9-10, Nov. 16-17, Nov. 22-24 and Dec. 13-15, 2019; combined expected attendance of 72,250
- City of Oaks Challenge: Jan. 17-19, 2020; 10,000 attendees
- nCino nSight 2020 Conference: April 26-29, 2020; 1,300 attendees
- Facing Race: Nov. 8-15, 2020; 2,500 attendees
- Mid-Atlantic Power League Raleigh: Feb. 29-March 1, 2020; 7,762 attendees
- N.C. Community College Systems: Oct. 9-12, 2020; 3,500 attendees
About the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Raleigh):
The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Raleigh), as the official destination marketing organization of Raleigh and Wake County, accelerates sustainable economic growth and development by increasing visitor and convention business. Raleigh, N.C./Wake County welcomes more than 16 million visitors annually whose spending tops $2.5 billion. The visitor economy supports more than 26,170 local jobs in Wake County and generates more than $250 million in state and local tax revenues, saving each Wake County household $671 in taxes annually. VisitRaleigh.com.
About the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA):
A division of the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Raleigh) — the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA) markets and promotes Raleigh and all of Wake County to generate and/or retain sports-related businesses (tournaments, championships, special events and meetings) to drive economic development. Raleigh, N.C./Wake County welcomes more than 16 million visitors annually whose spending tops $2.5 billion. The visitor economy supports more than 26,170 local jobs in Wake County and generates more than $250 million in state and local tax revenues, saving each Wake County household $671 in taxes annually. raleighsports.org.
Media Contact:
Scott Peacock, Director of Public Relations
919.645.2676
speacock@visitRaleigh.com
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