Panthers Playoffs Means City Economic Boost

CHARLOTTE, NC — “We wanted to come to the store, see what they had and check out everything going on,” said Panthers fan, Letreva Meakins.

Panthers fans who’ve moved away made sure to stop by the team store on a visit home, to stock up on paraphernalia.

“A lot of people coming in, a lot of support for the city, lot of support for the team, which is great to see,” said Panthers fan Jodie Messick.

Chamber of Commerce President Bob Morgan says the more exposure Charlotte gets, the more people might consider the city for home or business, boosting the Queen City’s economy.

“There is a national audience for the NFL playoffs and Charlotte is going to be featured prominently,” said Morgan.

Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority CEO Tom Murray says they see a 40 percent hike in tax revenue for big event weekends, and that money gets reinvested in the city.

“Help build the Levine Art Center, help build Time Warner. We built Time Warner Cable arena, NASCAR Hall of Fame, helped this Convention Center get built, helped Westin hotel get built, helped baseball stadium get built,” said Murray.

The added tax revenue from playoff games can make way for hopeful new plans.

“Soccer is becoming a really important part of our community,” said Murray.

For now the focus is football, and fans are already looking at spending money to come back for the game.

“We’re trying. Hoping hopefully we can find some tickets so we can bring the family,” said Meakins.

We called and checked: most of the Uptown hotels they say while they do still have rooms, they’re booking up quickly for Sunday, January 17, and rooms are starting in the mid to high $200s.