PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Hotels in Providence are seeing higher occupancy rates than any time since 2004, indicating Rhode Island’s convention business is on an upswing.
The Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau said Monday that occupancy for June was 81.4 percent, the first time occupancy has risen above 80 percent since October 2004.
Bureau President and CEO Martha Sheridan says large conventions and sporting events are prompting more people to visit Rhode Island’s largest city.
One June event, the Netroots Nation conference, brought thousands of people to Providence for a gathering of liberal political activists and journalists. Other big events this summer included a triathlon and several business association conventions.
The bureau says overall hotel occupancy for the first six months of 2012 is up 5 percent over the same period last year.
