Thank You NASCAR, For What You Mean To Our Region

By Mohammad Jenatian

Being perfectly located within an hour and a half flight and a short drive away for more than sixty percent of the population in the United States, the Charlotte area is the ultimate, multidimensional destination for a variety of travelers. Serving as the gateway to the beautiful Carolinas and being in the center of the most prosperous regions in the country, Charlotte is the ideal all-around host location for conventions, business travel, family and leisure travel, a variety of events and, of course, the millions of people around the globe that love NASCAR and racing in general.
Charlotte is a destination that is clicking on many cylinders and is the perfect home away from home for many brands of travelers because we are the:

• Home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame
When Charlotte finished first in the ultra competitive race for the right to win and build the $160 million NASCAR Hall of Fame complex (attached to the Charlotte Convention Center) in March of 2006, this region became the undisputed home of the remarkable NASCAR. More than 80 percent of NASCAR teams and drivers live and work in the Charlotte region, many already have popular museums which will serve as major compliments when the NASCAR Hall of Fame opens in late 2009. NASCAR is a $5 billion industry in North Carolina with 75 percent of that impact being right in the Charlotte area. If you visit Charlotte in May or October during the big races, you will see why our community loves NASCAR and NASCAR fans.

• Nation’s most accessible city
The primary reason for the extraordinary growth and prosperity of this region is our accessibility through air and network of major highways. Not only are we easy to get to, we are less than 24 hours away from some of the best mountains and beaches in this country.

• Financial and business capital of the South
We can proudly call Bank of America and Wachovia our hometown banks in a region which is home to the headquarters of nine (9) Fortune 500 companies.

• Home of the US National Whitewater Center (opened in 2006)

• Amateur Sports Capital of the South

• Conventions and hospitality capital of the beautiful Carolinas
With $3 billion in annual hospitality-related revenues, Charlotte is the number one travel destination in North Carolina.

• Shopping, professional sports, special events, culinary and cultural capital of the Carolinas

…and the list of other remarkable branding that this region is entitled to goes on.


On behalf of the nearly 80,000 employees of the hospitality industry in the Charlotte area, I thank you for visiting our fabulous community and look forward to your frequent visits.

2008 HTA Priorities

1994 - 2006 HTA Accomplishments