BEVERLY EAVES PERDUE
GOVERNOR
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
20301 MAIL SERVICE CENTER • RALEIGH, NC 27699‐0301
May 15, 2012
Contact: Chris Mackey
Office: (919) 733‐5612
Tourism Day to Mark Travel Industry’s Record Impact on N.C. Economy
State Tax Receipts from Visitor Spending Now More Than $1 Billion
RALEIGH-- Gov. Bev Perdue is proclaiming Wednesday, May 16, 2012, as Tourism Day in North Carolina, celebrating travel and tourism as a major industry that is vital to the economic stability and growth of the state. For the first time, state tax receipts as a result of visitor spending topped $1 billion in 2011 and have increased more than 50 percent in the last 10 years.
"Tourism means jobs in North Carolina," said Gov. Bev Perdue. "Our beautiful beaches, majestic mountains, small towns and vibrant cities made North Carolina a desirable destination for more than 37 million visitors last year. Those domestic travelers to our state spent a record $18 billion across all 100 counties, and that spending directly supports nearly 200,000 jobs for state residents."
“For every dollar spent by travelers to North Carolina, twenty-five cents in wage and salary income is generated for our residents,” said N.C. Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco. “Those are jobs that cannot be exported and that benefit communities in every county in the state.”
Visitors spend more than $50 million per day in North Carolina and contribute more than $4.3 million per day in state and local tax revenues as a result of that spending. Each North Carolina household saves over $430 annually in state and local taxes as a result of taxes generated by visitor expenditures. The visitor spending figures are the preliminary results of a study conducted by the U.S. Travel Association.
Tourism Facts:
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Domestic travelers spent a record $18.4 billion in 2011, up from 17 billion in 2010, an increase of 8.2 percent.