A new report from the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority says the economic impact from its direct activities in 2023 was $1.08 billion. That’s a new record, beating the old one of $1.06 billion set in 2019. For more, WFAE's Marshall Terry is joined by Lindsey Banks of the Charlotte Ledger Business Newsletter for our segment BizWorthy.
Marshall Terry: So Lindsey, where are people going, and what are they doing, according to this report?
Lindsey Banks: Yes. So for those who don't know the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority operates the Bojangles Coliseum, the Ovens Auditorium, the Charlotte Convention Center, NASCAR Hall of Fame and the Spectrum Center. So events that are happening in these facilities is mainly what they're tracking. So that's what that "direct activities" refers to.
Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority's biggest economic impact this year was leisure marketing, with roughly $615 million. And leisure marketing refers to investment in marketing and paid media this year that brought people into the city — so tourism marketing elsewhere in the country. And conventions, meetings and sports events brought in a combined $373 million this year.
As far as what these facilities and what Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority is doing to bring in this kind of revenue, they're hosting events that are drawing people in. Not just those that live in Charlotte, but tourists, you know, people traveling to Charlotte specifically for these events. And it was a great year for events in Charlotte. And it seems like they've got some great plans for next year, too.
Terry: Now these economic numbers are projections and estimates. But even if we don't know the exact dollar amount a visitor spent in Charlotte, what do these estimates say about tourism overall here?
Banks: Well, I think it's safe to say that Charlotte's tourism industry has not only bounced back following the pandemic, but is thriving and doing better than ever. And Charlotte is really starting to make a name for itself as a place to host events and conventions and sports games, concerts, festivals. And it's really exciting to see.
Terry: All right. Over to SouthPark Mall now, which you report seems to be expanding to make way for a new store. But it's a mystery as to just what store, right?
Banks: Right, SouthPark Mall is not revealing any details yet on what exactly is going into this new space. But yes, the Charlotte City Council approved the mall's plans for about 22,000 square foot expansion and what appears to be a second story adjacent to The Cheesecake Factory and Belk. And the proposal doesn't mention the tenant. The Ledger reached out to SouthPark Mall and they declined to say who's moving in. But I will say — it's unclear if this is related — but Zara has been reported. Zara is a retail company — so clothing, accessories — that has stores worldwide, actually. And it's supposed to be coming into SouthPark Mall by 2025. I don't know if that's what this is going to be, but I guess only time will tell.
Terry: Let's go now to south Charlotte, where residents in one neighborhood are raising objections to a big development project nearby. Which neighborhood? And what's the project, and why are some residents unhappy about it?
Banks: Yes, so there's a proposal from developer Childress Klein and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for a project in the Rea Farms area of south Charlotte. The proposal calls for a total of 917 housing units with a mix of apartments, townhomes and single-family homes, plus a new middle school along Tom Short Road.
And residents' main concern appears to be about the traffic and current infrastructure that wouldn't be able to support all of the additional cars that will be on the road. Tom Short Road is actually only a two-lane road, and there's already an elementary school on this road.
And residents are also upset about the 682 proposed apartments in this project versus the only 24 single-family homes. And they're saying that they want more single-family home representation in the proposal to reflect the types of homes that already make up a majority of this area.
And this is just one of several controversial rezonings under consideration in south Charlotte. The Ledger has covered a few. And it's expected to be heard in the next few months, so stay tuned for an update.
Terry: Finally, this week, the Ledger put a spotlight on Charlotte businessman Kal Kardous, who died in August at the age of 81. Now, that name may not be familiar to folks, but there's a good chance people heard one of Kardous' radio ads at some point, right?
Banks: Right. Yes. Kardous had a very fascinating life. He was born in Syria, came to the U.S. for college, and eventually moved to Charlotte in 1971. In 1988, he opened Charlotte Copy Data, which was an office equipment business. He opened it with a friend and eventually became Copy Data Network before he sold the company in March 2008. But he started doing radio ads to promote this company with the tagline of "Our accent is on quality." And the ads were on WBT radio in Charlotte and were so popular that the commercial actually won an ADDY award, which is an American advertising award. And on the day of his funeral, WBT had a tribute to Kardous on the station's "Good Morning BT." So he left a real legacy in Charlotte.
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