News and Updates

Get the latest updates, industry insights, and important announcements impacting our state's vibrant hospitality sector. Our goals is to keep you informed about  the policies, trends, and initiatives shaping North Carolina's travel and tourism landscape.

North Carolina’s fastest-growing city blows Raleigh, Charlotte out of the water

March 19, 2025

Triangle Business Journal March 17, 2025 If you’re looking for the North Carolina city where growth is on fire, you don’t need to worry about Raleigh or Charlotte. When it comes to the fastest-growing metro in the state, the coast is where you want to look. Wilmington is among the top 10 metro areas for population…

Blue Ridge Parkway visits high despite Helene. Trump officials don’t want it publicized

March 19, 2025

Asheville Citizen-Times March 11, 2025 ASHEVILLE – Despite a natural disaster, two Western North Carolina national park sites remained among the most visited in the country in 2024, though a March 5 National Park Service memo indicated the Trump administration wishes to obscure information relevant to the number of visitors. While major sections of the…

State’s fix for costly litter problem ‘not efficient or sufficient’

March 13, 2025

Coastal Review Online March 13th, 2025 The cleanup of more than 7,000 tons of litter in North Carolina cost state agencies, local governments and nonprofits more than $56 million in 2023, according to a new report. Those figures highlighted in “The Cost of Litter in North Carolina,” a 14-page report created through a collaboration of…

Lenovo Center revamp features swank seats, spiffy bar for Canes fans (Gallery)

March 5, 2025

Triangle Business Journal 03.03.2025 A dramatic reimagining of the Lenovo Center in Raleigh and space around it begins for the next National Hockey League season, with new premium experiences along the ice a part of the changes ahead. The ice level, what team officials call the “Event Level,” will add five to seven bunker suites next year, generally accommodating…

Surge of recovery workers Buncombe hotels best-ever January for occupancy

March 3, 2025

WUNC February 27th, 2025 Buncombe County’s hospitality industry was hard hit by the drop in tourism after Hurricane Helene. But last month, hotels posted their best January ever — due in large part to long-stay corporate guests booking rooms as they work on disaster recovery and insurance claims in the area. Vic Isley, president and…

This Charlotte asset is worth $37 billion to state economy, study finds

February 21, 2025

Charlotte Business Journal January 3rd, 2026 Charlotte Douglas International Airport generated $36.6 billion worth of economic activity in 2023, accounting for 42% of all aviation-related output across the state, according to a new study. The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation published the findings on Friday.  The state conducts the study, “North Carolina: The State of…

Lenovo Center development plan advances, despite safety concerns from Cardinal Gibbons

February 21, 2025

WRAL News 2/11/25 The long-anticipated development project around Raleigh’s Lenovo Center moved one step closer to becoming reality Tuesday when the city’s Planning Commission unanimously approved the site’s rezoning application. But dozens of students and leaders from Cardinal Gibbons, the private Catholic high school that sits across the street, attended the meeting to voice concerns…

Asheville, Buncombe hotel sales declined 74% in October, 57% in November after Helene

January 31, 2025

Asheville Citizens Times January 30th, 2025 The full impacts on Buncombe County’s tourism industry — which buoys many regional employers, restaurants and attractions — came into focus during the Jan. 29 Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority Board meeting, with the authority providing a clearer image of how deeply lodging sales were impacted by Tropical Storm…

Raleigh tops Milken Institute ranking of top cities

January 17, 2025

Business NC 1/15/25 Raleigh’s relative affordable housing is a big factor in its jump to the No. 1 spot on the Milken Institute’s rankings of the country’s best-performing cities. Raleigh ranked second in 2023, surging to the top after last year’s top-ranked city, Austin, Texas, slid to sixth. The Raleigh ranking reflects the metropolitan statistical area…