The direct spending of visitors effectively adds hundreds of dollars to area households’ pocketbooks every year, according to new research reported Friday in the Asheville Citizen-Times.
Through tourists’ spending, they shoulder a portion of the region’s tax burden that would otherwise be funded from year-round residents, according to the research.
Steve Morse, an economist who heads the hospitality & tourism program at Western Carolina University College of Business, recently had his graduate class crunch data from the U.S. Travel Association and U.S. Census reports. They found that, even if residents aren’t associated with the tourism industry, they see a tangible benefit.
The tax relief’s impact on households from spending by tourists is evident across WNC, from a reduction of a whopping $2,605 per household in the sparsely populated Swain County to $601 in the urban center of Buncombe County. In other words, without tourism dollars, local residents would have to pay that much more in taxes to offset the loss to their local economy.
It’s not just overnight visitors on their family vacations, Morse points out, but any visitor from at least 50 miles away. Up to 40 percent of all tourism data includes business travel. “Tourism is economic development that often doesn’t get a fair shake,” Morse said.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.