Raleigh Remains Resilient Despite Unpredictable Travel Economy

Raleigh, N.C. (Feb. 19, 2026) – Visit Raleigh has released the year-end 2025 Wake County Tourism Industry Report. Key performance indicators (KPIs), hospitality tax collections and prepared food and beverage tax collections continued their upward trajectory throughout 2025. Hotel occupancy continued to outperform state and national averages this year despite slowing travel trends nationwide, reflecting sustained demand for overnight stays in Wake County.

Highlights:
Continued Growth for Tax Collections

• Hotel lodging tax collections totaled more than $41.4 million through the end of 2025, up 1% over 2024.
• Prepared food and beverage tax collections totaled $48.9 million in calendar year 2025, up 5.4% over 2024.

Group Business Overview

• Visit Raleigh and the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA) hosted 405 events, tournaments, conferences and groups through 2025, welcoming over 306,000 attendees. (Note: This does account for all visitation throughout the county for that time period.)
• Through the end of 2025, hotel occupancy declined slightly to 67.7% while still outpacing state and national averages.

Future Business/Tourism Outlook

• Throughout 2025, Visit Raleigh and GRSA booked a substantial 364 events for future dates, bringing over 263,000 room-nights of future business to Wake County and generating a projected $190 million in direct economic impact.

“As travel demand plateaued across the country in 2025, Wake County once again demonstrated the resilience and strength of its visitor economy, outperforming both state and national averages in key tourism metrics,” said Dennis Edwards, President and CEO of Visit Raleigh. “Raleigh’s dynamic business and sports environment, expanding meetings and conventions portfolio along with upcoming destination developments positions us for even greater momentum in the years ahead, ensuring the Raleigh region remains a lucrative destination for leisure travelers, meeting planners and events nationwide.”

Below is a full breakdown of the tourism and hospitality industry performance throughout Wake County in 2025.

Wake County hospitality industry KPIs – according to the Smith Travel Research:

(January 1 – December 31, 2025)

Amid broader nationwide declines in travel demand, some KPIs for the Wake County hospitality industry softened. According to STR, through the end of the year, Wake County Occupancy decreased by 2.9% year-to-date (YTD), however there was a 1.7% increase YTD in hotel inventory, meaning actual rooms sold decreased by 1.3% YTD. Average Daily Rate (ADR) rose by 1.4% YTD and Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) decreased by 1.5% YTD. Despite these shifts, Wake County continued to outperform both state and national averages in occupancy and hotel room night supply, demonstrating the market’s resilience and competitive positioning.

Hospitality Industry Tax Collections in 2025:
Increased visitation to Wake County in 2025 led to increases in hotel occupancy and prepared food and beverage tax collections in 2025. Hotel lodging tax collections for 2025 totaled more than $41.4 million, a 1% increase over 2024. Prepared food and beverage tax collections totaled $48.9 million, a 5.4% increase YTD over 2024.

Interviews with a Visit Raleigh spokesperson can be arranged via phone, video conference or in person. To arrange an interview, please contact Public Relations and International Tourism Manager Hannah Hankins, at hhankins@visitraleigh.com.

About the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Raleigh):
As the official destination marketing organization for Wake County, 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 industry and community's economic position and provides opportunities for people throughout Wake County. Raleigh, N.C./Wake County welcomes 19 million visitors annually, whose spending tops $3.4 billion. The visitor economy supports more than 26,000 local jobs in Wake County and generates $321 million in state and local tax revenues, saving each Wake County household $720 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) for economic development. Raleigh, N.C./Wake County welcomes 19 million visitors annually, whose spending tops $3.4 billion. The visitor economy supports more than 26,000 local jobs in Wake County and generates $321 million in state and local tax revenues, saving each Wake County household $720 in taxes annually. raleighsports.org

Media Contact:
Hannah Hankins
Public Relations and International Tourism Manager
hhankins@visitraleigh.com
919.645.2676

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