Raleigh, N.C. (Aug. 10, 2023) – Visit Raleigh has released the Wake County Tourism Industry Report for the second quarter of 2023. Key performance indicators (KPIs), hospitality tax collections and prepared food and beverage tax collections continue to rise over 2022 year-to-date (YTD) levels. Hotel occupancy continued to outperform state and national averages, showing strong demand for overnight visitation in Wake County.

Highlights:
Continued Growth for Tax Collections

• Hotel lodging tax collections totaled more than $19 million through June 2023, up 22.9% YTD over 2022.
• Prepared food and beverage tax collections totaled $22.2 million through June 2023, up 13.1% over 2022.

Group Business Overview

• Visit Raleigh and the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA) hosted 104 events, tournaments, conferences, festivals and groups through June 2023, welcoming more than 197,000 attendees to the area.
• Through the end of June, hotel occupancy rose to 68.9% year-to-date (YTD), up 6% over 2022, and higher than the state and national averages for the same period.

Future Business/Tourism Outlook

• Through June 2023, Visit Raleigh and GRSA booked 68 events for future dates, bringing more than 43,000 room-nights of future business to Wake County and generating a projected $28 million in economic impact.

“Occupancy and prepared food and beverage tax collections saw record highs in April, May and June,” said Dennis Edwards, President and CEO of Visit Raleigh. “Festivals, events, conferences and tournaments of all sizes contribute to these record-breaking hospitality tax collections and support the tourism industry here in Wake County.”

Below is a full breakdown of the tourism and hospitality industry performance throughout Wake County in the second quarter of 2023.

Wake County hospitality industry KPIs – according to the Smith Travel Research:
(January 1 – June 30, 2023)

All KPIs for the Wake County hospitality industry have seen increases through the second quarter of 2023. According to STR, through the second quarter, Wake County Occupancy rose by 6% YTD, Average Daily Rate (ADR) increased by nearly 12% YTD and Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) increased more than 18% YTD.

Hospitality Industry Tax Collections in Q2 2023:
Wake County saw continued increased visitation in the second quarter of 2023, leading to hotel occupancy and prepared food and beverage tax collections increases over the same period of 2022. Hotel lodging tax collections totaled more than $19 million through June 2023, a 22.9% increase over 2022. Prepared food and beverage tax collections totaled more than $22 million, a 13.1% increase over the first half of 2022.

Events Hosted in Q2 2023:
During the second quarter of 2023, Visit Raleigh and the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA) together hosted 104 conventions, sporting events and groups and welcomed more than 197,532 attendees to Raleigh, N.C. The second quarter of 2023 was highlighted by key conventions, meetings and sporting events impacting overnight visitation including:

• Dreamville Festival 2023: 100,000 attendees
• Deep South Classic: 13,500 attendees
• LCS Spring Finals: 15,000 attendees
• Association of Flood Plain Managers 47^th Annual National Conference: 1,000 attendees
• The Soccer Tournament: 15,000 attendees 
• Special Operations Medical Society 2023 Scientific Assembly: 1,000 attendees

New Business Booked in Q2 2023:
The second quarter of 2023 was productive in bookings for future conventions, sporting events and groups in Wake County as Visit Raleigh and GRSA combined booked 68 groups totaling more than 43,281 room-nights of future business. Visit Raleigh and GRSA’s collective future bookings from this quarter will create a direct economic impact of $28 million.

Future meetings, conventions and sporting events booked during the second quarter include:

• Kioti Tractor Dealer Meeting: Nov. 13-14, 2023; 650 attendees
• Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series: July 7-9, 2023; 1,800 attendees 
• Air and Waste Management Association Annual Conference and Exhibition: June 8-12, 2025; 800 attendees

Interviews with a Visit Raleigh spokesperson can be arranged via phone, video conference or in person. To arrange an interview, please contact the Director of Public Relations and International Tourism, Jessica Holt at jholt@visitraleigh.com.

About the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Raleigh): 
As the official destination marketing organization for Wake County, the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Raleigh), is responsible for promoting Wake County as an attractive travel destination and enhancing its public image as a dynamic place to live and work. Through the impact of travel, the organization strengthens the economic position of and provides opportunity for people throughout Wake County. Raleigh, N.C./Wake County welcomes nearly 16 million visitors annually whose spending tops $2.3 billion. The visitor economy supports more than 21,000 local jobs in Wake County and generates $243 million in state and local tax revenues, saving each Wake County household $592 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 in order 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 16 million visitors annually whose spending tops $2.3 billion. The visitor economy supports more than 21,000 local jobs in Wake County and generates $243 million in state and local tax revenues, saving each Wake County household $592 in taxes annually. raleighsports.org 

Media Contact:
Jessica Holt
Director of Public Relations and International Tourism
919.645.2654
jholt@visitraleigh.com

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