Visit Raleigh, the official tourism authority for the city of Raleigh, North Carolina, estimates that around 3,000 people booked hotel rooms in the city and contributed $1.6M USD to the local economy during the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) two-day Spring Finals event over the weekend.Â
Visit Raleigh estimates that nearly 8,000 people attended the two-day event at the PNC Arena where, during the finals, Cloud9 beat the Golden Guardians 3-1, to be crowned the LCS Champions on Sunday. Further, the organization estimates that about 70% of those attending the event were new visitors to the city, traveling from other states or as far away as Canada.
As noted in this Sports Business Journal report from January, Raleigh is a popular destination for esports events; in the past it has hosted events for the Halo Championship Series, Fortnite Championship Series, and the Apex Legends Global Series, among others. North Carolina appears to be a popular destination for esports leagues because the state offers tax credits and incentives through its esports incentive program which offers a 25% tax credit of up to at least $5M, provided those applying for the incentive spent at least $250K in a fiscal year.
The Esports Advocate has reached out to Visit Raleigh for further data and will update this story as more information becomes available.