(The Center Square) – Visitor spending of $37.2 billion generated $1.39 billion in state taxes and $1.33 billion in local taxes, a report from the North Carolina Department of Commerce says.
The report on all 100 counties estimates a local tax savings for residents of $243.67.
Tourism, the report says, provided employment for 230,997 people in the nation’s ninth largest state with population 11.2 million.
“From the mountains to the coast, the findings underscore North Carolina’s ensuring appeal to travelers,” said Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. “They also speak to the resilience that has fueled the mountain recovery, and we can celebrate the strength of our tourism industry, which generated $37.2 billion in visitor spending last year.”
In 59 counties, visitor spending increased compared to 2024. The counties of Cherokee (13.9%) and Macon (11.1%) led the comeback in the mountains from the September 2024 devastation of Hurricane Helene.
The next level of increase was in the counties of Richmond (9.7%), Chatham (8.9%), Bertie (8.8%), Johnston (7.2%), Caldwell (6.5%), New Hanover (5.8%), Burke (5.6%) and Yancey (5.5%) spread from the borders of South Carolina to Virginia and the mountains to the coastal plain.
The Smoky Mountains and Cherokee region, in the southwestern tip bordering Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina, had 4.3% growth in visitor spending. Asheville and the foothills region (minus-0.7%) was the only one of 11 regions to have a decline.
Not surprisingly, Mecklenburg County ($6.5 billion) led in traveler expenditures. Charlotte is the 14th largest city in the nation and a hub of activity there. Wake County ($3.6 billion) was next. Both cities have major sports events and the professional franchises of the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets in the NFL and NBA, and the Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL.
“As much as we’d love to see growth in each of our 100 counties, the study confirms the vitality of North Carolina’s tourism economy,” said Wit Tuttell, executive director of Visit NC. “Our appeal is rooted in our culture, our natural wonders, and the creative forces that shape the experiences in each destination. Those strengths can withstand a hurricane and the economic uncertainties we’ve experienced since the pandemic. We can draw inspiration from the mountain counties that have triumphed over Helene’s challenges as we continue the effort to see every destination reach higher ground.”
The study was commissioned by Visit NC, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.
Originally published on thecentersquare.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
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