RDU airport journey surge boosts Triangle economic system for graduations, Mother’s Day 2026

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — One of the busiest journey stretches of the yr at Raleigh-Durham International Airport is bringing a surge of holiday makers — and spending — to the Triangle.

The airport welcomed practically 300,000 passengers over a five-day stretch in 2025, as vacationers arrived for commencement ceremonies and Mother’s Day celebrations.

Across the Triangle, companies are juggling these occasions unexpectedly.

“You have graduation, you have Mother’s Day, you have birthdays, you have anniversaries, because people are also getting married right now,” stated Tiera George, proprietor and lead designer of TG Floristry. “We definitely turn down some weddings for this weekend too. It’s a really busy time.”

Restaurants are additionally seeing a lift in clients.

“(Saturday), we saw an increase in guests. And (Sunday), we’re expected to double that,” stated Bryan Tenorio, normal supervisor at Parkside in downtown Raleigh, which is providing Mother’s Day specials

Tenorio stated altering shopper habits are pushing companies to focus much more on customer support.

“We make sure all of our servers and bartenders make you feel like you’re a friend and a person that important to us,” he stated.

The elevated demand comes as rising gasoline costs are driving up working prices.

“Have we seen an increase in our cost of stuff that we bring in? Yes, but at the end of the day, we make sure we put our customers first,” Tenorio stated.

He added they work to help different companies, particularly within the Warehouse District.

“We are a very tight group, so we always send each other business. We always talk about each other and make sure everyone’s taken care of,” defined Tenorio.

At TG Floristry, employees labored by way of water restrictions and provide challenges.

“Having the drought here and then also having our farmers being impacted by that, we did have to import more of our flowers,” George stated.

Despite that, George stated about 80% of flowers have been sourced domestically this vacation weekend, with the staff working to maintain up with demand.

“You’re reaching so many people, potentially triple what you would normally reach,” George stated. “(It’s about) making sure that you’re still doing the same things and following up in the same ways, so hopefully those orders (increase) even more for next year. I think we’ve definitely seen that over the last few years.”

According to the National Retail Federation, flowers topped the record of anticipated Mother’s Day purchases, with 75% of customers planning to purchase them. Greeting playing cards adopted at 74%, together with particular outings like dinner or brunch (63%), present playing cards (55%), and clothes (51%). All 5 classes noticed will increase in comparison with 2025.

Total Mother’s Day spending is projected to succeed in a document $38 billion this yr — up greater than 11% from 2025 and surpassing the earlier excessive of $35.7 billion in 2023.