Wake County Tourism Soars to New Heights

Economy & Business 2025: Travel and Tourism 

Dennis Edwards

President and CEO, Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Raleigh) 

Wake County’s travel and tourism industry has recovered, achieving record-breaking visitation levels and breaking all records regarding visitor spending and tax generation in 2023. Tourism tax collections generated a record $84.8 million in fiscal year 2023-2024. As a result, Wake County and the City of Raleigh approved key priorities in the Wake County Destination Strategic Plan 2028. Enhancements at Lenovo Center, moving the outdoor Red Hat Amphitheater, expansion of the Raleigh Convention Center and development of a 550-room Omni Hotel adjacent to the convention are all in the design phase and moving forward.  

Additional new hotel projects continue to rise across the county. In 2024, Wake County added three hotels with 365 rooms to the market’s supply, including the Hyatt House Raleigh Downtown/Seaboard Station. Another seven new hotels with more than 788 rooms are anticipated to open in 2025, including the dual-brand Tempo and Homewood Suites by Hilton Raleigh Downtown and The Oberlin Raleigh.  

We continue to experience high demand in both conventions and sporting events, including the return of esports competitions like ESL One Raleigh in April, The Soccer Tournament (TST) in Cary in June, VisitRaleigh.com Showcase Series in November and December and three NCAA events in 2025:  

• NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball First/Second Rounds – March 
• NCAA Division II College Baseball World Series – May/June 
• NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer College Cup – December 

Unique and exciting leisure events continue to thrive in Raleigh with the return of Dreamville Festival, Animazement, Brewgaloo, GalaxyCon and more in 2025. This year, residents and visitors alike look forward to the opening of the 18-acre Gipson Play Plaza at Dorothea Dix Park, a civic plaza and playground at the main park entrance and a central gateway connection to the rest of downtown Raleigh. 

“The growth and expansion of Raleigh’s tourism infrastructure not only enhances our competitiveness as a travel destination and residents’ quality of place, but it also makes the area a vibrant hub for tourism and economic development”  -Dennis Edwards, Visit Raleigh (GRCVB)

This content first appeared in Economy & Business 2025. Click here to view the entire publication.