This year looks like a great one for conventions and conferences, reports the LA Times.
Room bookings for groups are up nearly 6% from February 2012 to January 2013 compared with the same period in 2011-12, according to data from TravelClick.
At the same time, there’s good news for convention-goers. Daily group rates are down 1.1%, says TravelClick.
Some cities are already seeing an upswing. Charlotte, NC, says it has a more than 50% increase in group bookings for the year. But that’s in part because the city is the site of the Democratic convention Sept. 3.
But they’re far from the only area reporting a rise in business.
—Bookings are up by more than 15% in Tampa.
—Group bookings are up 15.3% in Houston.
—In the state of California, group bookings for 2012 are up 5.2%.
By David Wilkening
