When rock band Pearl Jam decided to cancel its concert in Raleigh, N.C., last week in opposition to House Bill 2, it cost four local hotels a total of $60,000, the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau reported. And celebrities aren’t the only ones reacting to North Carolina’s controversial new law, which limits transgender people to using bathrooms that match their birth gender. The state has been hit by a wave of hotel cancellations from tourists, and the list of groups reconsidering events in the state continues to grow because of HB2. Tourism is a major economic engine in North Carolina, where domestic travelers spent a record $21.3 billion in 2014. In Charlotte, more than 20 conventions have either canceled or are no longer considering holding their event in the state, according to the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. The Westin Charlotte, which draws more than 55 percent of its business from groups, told The New York Times that 11 groups have already pulled the hotel from consideration because of the law. Marriott International, which has 134 hotels across its brand portfolio in North Carolina, and Starwood Hotels & Resorts, with 20, are also reporting canceled reservations. To read more, click here.
