Tourism spending in N.C. reaches new record

Press Release

From Governor Pat McCrory:
Raleigh, N.C. –  Governor Pat McCrory and Department of Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker announced today that 95 of the state’s 100 counties saw increases in visitor spending in 2013. Data from the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development showed that visitor spending topped $1 billion in Mecklenburg, Wake and Guilford counties and approached $1 billion in Dare and Buncombe.

“North Carolina continues to show that it is one of the most sought-after vacation spots in the country,” Governor McCrory said. “These statistics are no surprise; tourism stimulates our economy and encourages visitors to consider moving to our great state. The 2013 tourism dollars prove our cultural resources are just as big of a draw as our natural ones.”

Domestic visitors spent a record $20 billion in 2013, an increase of 4 percent from the previous year. State tax receipts as a result of visitor spending topped $1 billion in 2013, and local tax revenues directly resulting from visitor spending totaled more than $601 million. Visitor expenditures directly supported 198,270 jobs and generated more than $4.6 billion in payroll income across North Carolina.

“Tourism is a key element of our economic development strategy for North Carolina,” Secretary Decker said. “It means jobs — nearly 200,000 of them across the state — for our residents. I am so pleased that every corner of North Carolina benefited from tourism. Nearly 53 million people experienced our state’s incredible beauty, from our famous mountains to our incredible coast and our vibrant cities and fascinating towns in between.”

The visitor spending figures come from an annual study commissioned by the Division of Tourism and conducted by the U.S. Travel Association. The study uses sales and tax revenue data, employment figures and other industry data to determine the overall impact of visitor spending in North Carolina. Highlights include:

• Mecklenburg County received more than $4.6 billion in domestic travelers’ expenditures to lead all of North Carolina’s 100 counties. Wake County ranked second with nearly $1.9 billion, followed by Guilford County with $1.2 billion.
• The largest percent increases in visitor spending were seen in Buncombe (8 percent), Burke (7.6 percent) and Carteret (7.4 percent). Henderson County followed with a 6.8 percent increase, then Wilkes (6.2 percent), Forsyth (5.9 percent), Durham (5.8 percent), Brunswick (5.5%) and Rowan (5.5%).
• Mecklenburg County had the largest number of direct tourism employees (46,500) and the largest payroll ($1.5 billion). Three other counties had more than 10,000 direct tourism employees: Wake (20,270), Guilford (12,450) and Dare (11,750).
• Counties with the largest increases in direct tourism employment: were Burke (5.8 percent), Buncombe (5.0 percent), Carteret (4.5 percent), Henderson (4.4 percent), Wilkes (4.4 percent) and Durham (4.1 percent).

For more information about the travel impact numbers, contact the Department of Commerce’s Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development.