Wake County's tourism's industry declined during COVID-19, a new report said. | Stock Photo
Wake County's tourism's industry declined during COVID-19, a new report said. | Stock Photo
The Covid-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the tourism and hospitality industry in Wake County, a report released in September found.
The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance released the study on Sept. 9, which detailed the impact of the coronavirus on the hospitality and tourism industry, including tax collection data, updated event cancellation totals and hotel performance data.
The report found that hotel occupancy in the county remains less than 50%, with tax collections down $13.5 million year-to-date. Highlights of the study included 258 conventions, meetings and group sporting events canceled or rescheduled, resulting in a total economic impact of $145 million.
"We're grateful that the state of North Carolina has allowed museums to open under Phase 2.5 as well as the increase in mass gathering sizes," Dennis Edwards, president and CEO of Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Raleigh), said in the release about the report. "We have seen hotel occupancy flatten out recently, so this will hopefully give the tourism industry a little lift at a much-needed time as well as improve the quality of life for our residents."
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