Raleigh, N.C. (Nov. 2, 2023) - Sports Destination Management, the leading publication with the largest circulation of sports event planners and tournament directors in the sports tourism market, has announced the 2023 Champions of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism. This year’s winners are responsible for contributing a more-than-welcome boost of over $932 million to the national economy over the past year.

Among the winners was the 2023 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series™ produced in cooperation with the Carolina Hurricanes, North Carolina State University (NC State), the NHL and multiple community partners, including the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA). 

The 2023 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series™ took the ice on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, in Raleigh, N.C., which featured the dynamic Carolina Hurricanes in the team’s first outdoor game. In this sold-out game, the Canes faced division rivals Washington Capitals at Carter-Finley Stadium, a 56,000+ seat premier collegiate football field in the southeast and home of the NC State Wolfpack. The Stadium Series game generated $13.6 million in total economic impact.

The whole NHL Stadium Series weekend consisted of a Hurricanes’ home game against the Canadiens on Thursday, Hurricanes FanFest presented by UNC Health and the Hootie & the Blowfish concert on Friday, the Stadium Series game and Truly Hard Seltzer NHL PreGame official fan festival on Saturday and the men’s basketball game between UNC and NC State on Sunday. The entire weekend of events generated $20.1 million in total economic impact.

“The 2023 NHL Stadium Series game further enhances Greater Raleigh’s reputation as a premier sports event destination,” said Scott Dupree, Executive Director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance. “It will go down as one of the most spectacular and memorable events ever hosted in Raleigh or anywhere in North Carolina, and it was televised worldwide to 160 countries. We were honored to be part of the partnership to plan and host this amazing event, and we want to thank the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes, NC State University and the Centennial Authority for making it happen.”

All winners of awards have been recognized in a special feature published in the November/December 2023 issue of Sports Destination Management. The entire article with full details on the winners can be found at this link.

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) for the purpose of economic development. Raleigh, N.C./Wake County welcomes nearly 18 million visitors annually whose spending tops $3 billion. The visitor economy supports over 24,500 local jobs in Wake County and generates $287 million in state and local tax revenues, saving each Wake County household $601 in taxes annually. raleighsports.org

Media Contacts:
Visit Raleigh
Dana Canby, Public Relations and International Tourism Manager
919.830.1289
dcanby@visitRaleigh.com

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