Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority Recognizes Annual National Travel and Tourism Week
CHARLOTTE, NC – (May 6, 2021) – Before the pandemic, travel and tourism in the Charlotte region had experienced 10 consecutive years of growth, generating $7.8 billion in direct visitor spending, employing 147,000 residents and producing more than $125 million in hospitality tax collections in 2019. That strong growth trend plummeted in 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19. Now, several positive signs are pointing to recovery — welcome news as the hospitality industry marks the 38th annual National Travel and Tourism Week, May 2-8.
“We certainly have many more reasons to be optimistic now than we did at the start of the year,” said Tom Murray, Chief Executive Officer of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA). “Our industry has been devastated, but we have proven to be resilient — that’s the power of travel. Both the research and our customers are telling us that things are improving, and Charlotte is poised to come out strong as leisure, group and corporate travel returns. Before the pandemic, we were a city on the rise and I’m confident we will be again.”
According to recently released data (week of May 3, 2021) from Destination Analysts on travel trends and traveler sentiment:
- About 87% of American travelers expect to be taking trips this summer, be it a vacation, visiting friends or relatives, business trip or meeting at a conference.
- 41% of those traveling for leisure in the next three months say they will be visiting cities, up from 27% previously.
- In the last week, a record 80% of American travelers dreamt of or planned travel, including 22% who made reservations or bookings — another record.
Meeting and event planners are also expressing confidence, according to Northstar Meetings Group:
- 85% of meeting planners agree that if it can be done safely, in-person meetings should be held.
- 60% of planners expect their first live, in-person event to be in the second half of 2021, while only 20% expect it to be in 2022.
- Meeting planner researching, sourcing and booking activity all peaked in April 2021, with one in five meeting planners actively sourcing new events (sending Requests for Proposals) and booking new event venues/destinations.
While leisure travel was expected to lead recovery followed by meetings and conventions, corporate business travel may also be showing signs of life after nearly ceasing to exist in 2020. According to Destination Analysts, 56% of those employed by companies in which there is business travel say that this travel has resumed, up 8 percentage points from March 2021.
The CRVA has supported the local community during the pandemic and positioned the hospitality industry for recovery through strategic sales and marketing efforts, health and safety tools and awareness campaigns over the past 14 months. Among these ongoing initiatives are:
- The creation of a comprehensive, data-driven leisure recovery marketing strategy with goals to re-instill consumer confidence in travel, support hospitality partners and connect with audiences in target markets. A “Rediscover Charlotte” awareness campaign is currently underway in target markets and has generated more than $15.5 million in hotel revenue and 124,000 room nights sold since October 2020.
- A complementary convention/meetings/events sales and marketing strategy designed to enhance meeting planner perception of Charlotte, focus on short-term regional business, retain existing bookings, and continue to secure long-term bookings.
- Serving as a community resource by creating extensive COVID-conscious content on charlottesgotalot.com that provides ways to support local businesses and showcases the best of Charlotte. Several new campaigns and digital platforms to support the hospitality industry over the last year and emphasize key place branding messages include:
- Pitch In. Take Out., Your Table is Ready [Culinary]
- Google Arts & Culture: Charlotte [Arts & Culture]
- Multicultural CLT, Black CLT, LGBTQ+ CLT, Asian CLT, Hispanic/Latinx CLT [Diversity & Inclusion]
- CLT Trail Guide [Outdoors & Adventure]
- Implementation of extensive cleaning processes that earned accreditation for each of the CRVA’s managed venues from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council. Development of multi-faceted coronavirus resources linking to public health information and outlining key safety protocols across the local hospitality industry, including “We Clean With Care” facility messaging.
- Preparing to launch the out-of-market “Your Room is Ready” campaign to further drive hotel bookings for weekend getaways in combination with the “Rediscover Charlotte” awareness marketing. As more than half of the city’s visitation is comprised of travelers who are visiting friends and relatives, a local in-market campaign called “Together Again in Charlotte” will debut this summer to give residents inspiring ways to reconnect with loved ones across the city.
These initiatives, combined with pent up demand for travel and special events of all kinds, are expected to provide a much-needed boost to the region’s battered hotels, restaurants, attractions, museums, performance venues and tourism-reliant businesses and services. The $126.9 million expansion of the Charlotte Convention Center, slated for completion later this summer, will be a strong selling point with meeting and conference planners looking to book business or give attendees a new experience. The recently completed $20 million connector facility between Bojangles Coliseum and Ovens Auditorium, which added meeting space and expanded on-site catering capabilities, is another new offering for local and out-of-town gatherings.
The region’s visitor economy has significant ground to make up from a year of damage due to COVID-19 (March 2020 - March 2021):
- Leisure and travel jobs accounted for 55% of all job losses. Industry employment fell nearly 60,000 in April 2020, down from 140,900 in February 2020. The sector has since regained 58% of the jobs lost, but still lags 17% behind pre-pandemic levels and does not take into account reduced hours and limited shifts many workers are experiencing.
- Restaurants and bars make up a $3.8 billion food and beverage industry in Charlotte, and they collectively experienced a gross sales decrease of $1.1 billion.
- At the lowest point in 2020, hotel occupancy in Mecklenburg County hit 22% the week of April 11 compared to 77% the week ending February 29.
- Hotel revenue totaled $807.5 million pre-pandemic and fell to $302.1 million, a 63% decline.
- Hospitality tax collections (consisting of 8% hotel occupancy, 1% prepared food and beverage, and 8% rental car) declined 25%, totaling $92.5 million down from $123.1 million.
Following the economic hardship brought on by the pandemic, the theme of this year’s National Travel and Tourism Week is “The Power of Travel” — a sentiment that speaks to the industry’s role in bringing back vibrant communities, restoring the U.S. economy, rebuilding our workforce and reconnecting America. National Travel and Tourism Week is also an opportunity to highlight the valuable contributions the hospitality industry makes to our region’s identity, culture and overall quality of life.
Nearly 30 million visitors traveled to the Queen City in 2019, spending $7.8 billion in local businesses, attractions, restaurants and hotels across the region. Visitor spending and hospitality tax collections support some of the Queen City’s most defining community assets, including Bank of America Stadium, NASCAR Hall of Fame, Levine Center for the Arts, Spectrum Center, Truist Field and Discovery Place.
About the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority
The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA) works to deliver experiences that uniquely enrich the lives of our visitors and residents. Through leadership in destination development, marketing and venue management expertise, the CRVA leads efforts to maximize the region’s economic potential through visitor spending, creating jobs and opportunities for the community. Brands supported by the CRVA include the Charlotte Convention Center, Spectrum Center, Bojangles Coliseum, Ovens Auditorium, NASCAR Hall of Fame, Charlotte Regional Film Commission and Visit Charlotte in conjunction with the region’s destination marketing brand. For more information, visit crva.com.
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