CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It’s been a busy weekend for holiday travel. Charlotte Douglas International Airport said it expected about 6% more passengers this Labor Day weekend compared to last year's.
With the boost in travel, the Charlotte area is also seeing a boost in business. Many restaurants and shops were able to get much-needed revenue over the busy holiday weekend.
Charlotte Douglas predicts this year’s summer travel season will break its 2019 record of 50.2 million passengers. Plus, AAA Carolinas estimates road trips are up 5% from last Labor Day weekend.
Many of those travelers spent money at local spots like Dilworth Neighborhood Grille.
"It definitely was super packed," restaurant manager Chris Pearson said. He added this holiday weekend was busier than last year thanks to more families and college football fans.
"With USC and UNC playing at the stadium, we had a big turnout for that and then just a lot of families that were either going to the lake for Labor Day weekend or coming back from later on in the evening," said Pearson.
The holiday weekend boost tracks with the increase in tourism dollars Mecklenburg County is seeing post-pandemic. A new Visit NC study shows North Carolina set a record for visitor spending in 2022. Mecklenburg County led the state in growth, receiving $5.3 billion, which is up 31% compared to the year before.
"I think we saw a large jump last year, it was one of the better years that the owner had for Dilworth [Grille] but this year is on par to be one of the top three," shared Pearson.
The manager said he's happy to see small businesses getting support from not only locals but out-of-town visitors too.
The Visit NC study also says in 2022, Mecklenburg County saw an 18% increase in tourism employees like hotel and airport workers, which is the largest in the state.