County Spending by Domestic Visitors Increases by 4.96% to $149 Million
New Bern, N.C. — Governor Roy Cooper announced today that domestic visitors to and within Craven County spent $149 million in 2018, an increase of 4.96% from 2017. The data comes from an annual study commissioned by Visit North Carolina, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.
“Tourism has an enormous effect on New Bern and Craven County and we are thrilled with the continued growth in our area.” Tarshi P. McCoy, Executive Director, New Bern-Craven County Convention and Visitor Center.
Tourism impact highlights for 2018:
- The travel and tourism industry directly employees more than 1,180 in Craven County
- Total payroll generated by the tourism industry in Craven County was $30.37 million.
- State tax revenue generated in Craven County totaled $8.11 million through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income. About $3.27 million in local taxes were generated from sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses.
Governor Cooper announced in May that visitors to North Carolina set a record for spending in 2018. The $25.3 billion in total spending represented an increase of 5.6 percent from 2017.
These statistics are from the “Economic Impact of Travel on North Carolina Counties 2018,” which can be accessed at partners.visitnc.com/economic-impact-studies. The study was prepared for Visit North Carolina by the U.S. Travel Association.
“The numbers confirm the strength of North Carolina’s tourism industry as an anchor of economic development,” said Wit Tuttell, executive director of Visit North Carolina. “As the No. 6 state in the country for overnight visitation, we can attribute our success to the natural beauty and authenticity that visitors experience, and to a passionate effort to inform and inspire travelers. The money they spend benefits everyone by sustaining jobs and reducing our residents’ tax burden.”
Statewide highlights include:
- State tax receipts as a result of visitor spending rose 4.7 percent to more than $1.3 billion in 2018.
- Visitors spend more than $69 million per day in North Carolina. That spending adds $5.64 million per day to state and local tax revenues (about $3.5 million in state taxes and $2.1 million in local taxes).
- The travel and tourism industry directly employees more than 230,000 North Carolinians.
- Each North Carolina household saves on average $532 in state and local taxes as a direct result of visitor spending in the state.
Submitted by: Judy Avery, Marketing Director, New Bern-Craven County Convention and Visitor Center