Charlotte keys record tourism spending

(The Center Square) – Charlotte, Raleigh, Asheville and the Outer Banks keyed record spending in 2023 across North Carolina’s tourism industry, an annual report says.

The four locales had the most traveler expenditures and each is responsible for the highest number of direct tourism employees, respective to county measurements. The North Carolina Department of Commerce credited $35.6 billion to visitor spending, a 6.9% increase.

Direct tourism employment reached 227,000, up 4.8%.

The Commerce Department, in its release, says North Carolina households save an average of $518 in state and local taxes because of visitor spending. An estimated 43 million visited in 2023, generating $44.5 billion in federal, state and local taxes.

State tax receipts from visitor spending, the release says, is $1.3 billion.

“The new study underscores the importance of tourism to every county in North Carolina,” said Wit Tuttell, executive director of Visit NC, an arm of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. “There’s a lot of competition for travelers’ time and money, and we owe our success to everything from the state’s scenic beauty and outdoor adventure to our mix of tradition and innovation and our welcoming spirit.”

“Those qualities might be hard to measure, but we can follow the trail to a measurable impact on our workforce, our businesses and our tax base,” he added.

Payroll to employees in direct tourism is estimated at $9.3 billion.

In estimated traveler expenditures, Mecklenburg County was first at $5.8 billion, followed by Wake at $3.3 billion, Buncombe at $3 billion, and Dare at $2.1 billion. In direct tourism employees, Mecklenburg (36,310) again led followed by Wake (25,984), Buncombe (19,862), Dare (12,564) and Guilford (11,580).

The release says the study, conducted by Tourism Economics and commissioned by Visit NC, has “preliminary estimates of domestic and international traveler expenditures as well as employment, payroll income, and state and local tax revenues directly generated by these expenditures. The statistical model draws on detailed data from Visit NC as well as data derived from federal and state government sources, nationally known private and non-profit travel organizations, and other travel industry sources.”