north carolina tourism statistics

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North Carolina Tourism Numbers Rise along with Industry Employment

VisitNC recently released the 2022 economic impact measures for the state’s tourism industry. Travelers spent more than $33.3 billion on trips to and within the state, topping the previous record of $29.22 billion set in pre-pandemic 2019.

“The record setting level of visitor spending in NC points to a need to continually evaluate and advance the sustainability of tourism across the state,” commented Whitney Knollenberg , associate professor of parks, recreation and tourism management at NC State. “So many of our communities from the mountains to the coast continue to rely on the economic benefits of tourism – like jobs and taxes – we need to ensure the industry stays resilient and its positive impacts are felt by all.”

In compiling fast facts for her students and colleagues, Knollenberg highlighted the following:

• Record setting total spending by domestic and international visitors in North Carolina reached $33.3 billion in 2022.That sum represents a 15.2 percent increase over 2021 expenditures
• Direct tourism employment in North Carolina increased 9.8 percent to 216,900
• Visitors spend more than $91 million per day in North Carolina
• North Carolina hosted approximately 43 million visitors in 2022 making it the 6th most visited state in the nation.

Behind the numbers with PRTM alums

The VisitNC team behind the numbers includes PRTM alums, Marlise Taylor , director of tourism research and Ashton English , research data specialist . Taylor received her bachelor’s and master’s degree from the department of parks, recreation and tourism focusing on tourism management and tourism research.

“I’ve been with the tourism office since 2005, and couldn’t ask for a better career that allows me to support the state that I love and ultimately help to support thousands of jobs and businesses throughout NC,” said Taylor. ” Our entire team works tirelessly to promote and support tourism efforts in all 100 counties in NC.”

English earned a bachelor’s degree in PRTM in 2021 with a focus on program management and did a study with Knollenberg on an agritourism project during her time at NC State. She is currently working on her master’s degree in strategic and digital communication at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

“I’ve been with the tourism office since 2022 and couldn’t ask for a more supportive team as I start my career,” said English. “I take pride in being a North Carolina native and loving giving back to the state.”

NC Tourism Investments and Increases

North Carolina has invested hundreds of millions of dollars from the American Rescue Plan into helping the tourism industry to recover and thrive following the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether funding Business Recovery Grants, the Moonshine to Motorsports Trail, or investing in Tourism Marketing, the state is committed to supporting the tourism industry’s return to record-breaking heights.

The state’s tourism-supported workforce increased 9.8 percent to 216,900 jobs in 2022. That figure reverses the more than 26 percent loss in employment suffered in 2020. Tourism payroll increased 13.5 percent to $8.7 billion. Also, as a result of visitor spending, state and local governments saw rebounds in tax revenues to nearly $2.5 billion. The figures are preliminary findings from research commissioned by  Visit North Carolina , a unit of the  Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina , and conducted by Tourism Economics. More information about the study can be found online at  partners.visitnc.com/economic-impact-studies , which also links to archived reports dating back to 2005.

• Parks and Recreation Tourism Management
• Tourism Extension

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NC tourism going gangbusters, with state among top US destinations

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The North Carolina tourism economy reached its highest level ever in 2023, Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday, with travelers spending more than $35.6 billion on trips to and within the state.

That’s up almost 7% from the previous record in 2022, according to the governor’s office. The state also rose to fifth in the nation for domestic visitation, behind California, Florida, Texas and New York. 

Direct tourism employment in the state increased almost 5% to 227,200 jobs in 2023, and direct tourism payroll increased to $9.3 billion, the governor’s office said.

The preliminary findings come from research commissioned by Visit North Carolina , part of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina . But tourism organizations in three regions of the state that talked with Carolina Public Press for this article also described successful efforts to draw in more tourists in each part of the state.

Inflation is part of what made 2023 a record year, as spending in general has increased, said Wit Tuttell , executive director of Visit North Carolina. But the agency also was able to target off-season advertising, such as marketing ski areas, with money from the legislature, he said.

“North Carolina is still a very seasonal tourism destination and so the more we can spread that out, that brings those dollars to areas in times where they need it more,” he said.

International traveler spending in the state also rose almost 10% from the previous year, to $997 million in 2023, the governor’s office said.

North Carolina isn’t as popular for international visitors as other areas of the U.S., Tuttell said. But those tend to be valuable visitors, as they often stay longer and spend more, he said.

The state works with other states in the South to jointly advertise, he said, because typical international visitors travel throughout the region.

It’s also better for Southern states not to go after a first-time international visitor, who will likely want to see California or New York, he said. Instead, the region targets veteran travelers who want the Southern experience, he said.

Visit North Carolina also tries to prevent over-tourism by making sure visitors enhance an area instead of detracting from it, Tuttell said. Part of that involves targeting whom the state markets itself to, he said, such as the Outdoor NC program , which emphasizes protecting resources and sustainability. 

Ahead of Memorial Day weekend, tourism organizations across the state are preparing for visitors. Those in Raleigh, Wilmington and Western N.C. talked to CPP about the weekend ahead and tourism in their areas.

Raleigh gateway for NC tourists

Raleigh and the Wake County area have strong leisure visitation even apart from holidays, said Dennis Edwards , president and CEO of Visit Raleigh . That will continue this weekend with events such as the NCAA women’s lacrosse championship and the Japanese animation and cultural convention Animazement , he said.

The area is accustomed to large events, he said, and the agency alerts hotels and restaurants beforehand of when peak times might be. 

In terms of attracting international versus domestic visitors, Edwards said the agency promotes the entire state to international visitors, with Raleigh acting as a gateway.

For domestic visitors, the focus is on the local area, he said.

Wilmington tourism

The Wilmington area is ready for the expected crowds of Memorial Day weekend, said Kim Hufham , president and CEO of the New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority .

Lifeguards start working daily and local businesses usually increase seasonal staff, according to Connie Nelson , communications and public relations director for the Wilmington and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau, which is the business name of the New Hanover tourism authority.

Each of the past couple years have been record-breaking in tourism expenditures and room occupancy tax collections in the county, Hufham said. The growth is just now leveling off after jumping post-pandemic lockdown, she said.

Most of the area’s visitors come from within North Carolina, Hufham said, but they also see large numbers from Northeastern states such as Pennsylvania and New York. 

NC mountain tourism

In Asheville, restaurant reservations have begun to fill up, recent dance performances sold out and more tubers are going down the French Broad River , said Dodie Stephens , vice president of marketing at Explore Asheville .

Most Asheville visitors come from areas within a day’s drive, Stephens said, so the agency markets primarily to those people. Travelers who fly in tend to stay longer and move around the community more, she said, so the agency works with Asheville Airport to encourage those visitors.

Flights from Florida into Asheville are increasing, said Craig Distl , a public relations representative for Visit Hendersonville . The agency targets those visitors year-round as the N.C. mountains are some of the closest to Floridians, he said.

Memorial Day weekend means crowds of around 200,000 for Hendersonville, Distl said, as the town holds the Garden Jubilee festival downtown. 

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• North Carolina

81 North Carolina Travel and Tourism Statistics to Know for 2023

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• North Carolina is the 9th most visited state in the US, tied with Virginia, and the Tarheel State welcomed 43 million visitors in 2022 alone. 
• Visitors spent $33.3 billion in North Carolina in 2022, with the vast majority of it coming from in-state visitors.
• Charlotte and Raleigh are the largest airports , serving a combined total of almost 60 million passengers in 2022.
• The Great Smoky Mountains National Park , the only national park in the state, has welcomed over 9.8 million visitors so far this year. It welcomed almost 13 million visitors in 2022 .

If you would like a folder with copies of all documents used in this report, then please Contact Me to request them.

North Carolina , with its stunning mountain views in the west and long stretches of sandy beaches in the east, is the 9th most visited state in the country, tied with Virginia , according to Statista .

It is also one of the fastest-growing states in the country. According to the US Census Bureau , North Carolina ranks 3rd in the country for growth in the total number of people moving into the state.

In this comprehensive report, we’ll look at statistics to know about North Carolina travel and tourism for 2023.

Source , Source , Source

According to the NC Department of Commerce , the leisure and hospitality industry employs 538,200 people, as of August 2023. They also report that direct tourism provided 216,900 jobs for North Carolinians in 2022.

A visitor is defined as “a device with a home OR work location (to exclude commuters) more than 30 miles from destination. This visitor device must visit one of the points of interest Zartico mapped out, which include accommodations, state/national parks, retail locations, restaurants, bars, cultural attractions, and universities.”

• Visitors spent $91 million per day in North Carolina.
• 2%, or 1 out of 50, of all North Carolina residents are employed in tourism .
• 87% of visitors came for leisure , 10% came for business (personal or otherwise), and 3% came for other reasons.

As of October 25, 2023, 69.4% of all visitors this year were from out-of-state , while 30.6% were in-state visitors.

For the purposes of credit card spending, a visitor is defined as “as a cardholder who is more than 60 miles away from their home (billing) ZIP Code. The cardholder needs to spend in visitor-defined Merchant Category Codes (MCC Codes).”

• Around one-fourth of all credit card spending in North Carolina comes from visitors. 
• For the week of September 24, 2023, visitors accounted for 23% of total credit card spending .

Some parts of North Carolina are more popular destinations than others. Here are key statistics to know about the most and least popular areas :

Visitors spent $33.3 billion in NC in 2022, the most recent year data are available:

• $32.4 billion was from domestic tourism .
• $910.1 million was from international tourism .

2022 total annual spending by county highlights:

Mecklenburg County was the top county by spending, at $5,332,340,000, or about 5.3 billion. This is 16% of all visitor spending in North Carolina.  Read More : CRVA News and Resources

This comes as little surprise, as Mecklenburg is home to Charlotte , the largest city in North Carolina and a huge East Coast banking and business hub. 

Mecklenburg County is followed by:

• Wake County: total spending $2,951,560,000

Wake County is home to Raleigh , the capital city of North Carolina. Read More : Wake County 2023 Second Quarter Tourism Industry Report

• Buncombe County: total spending $2,879,280,000

Much of this tourism spending is likely in Asheville , a very popular mountain destination and trendy town filled with boutique stores, restaurants, and much more. Read More : Buncombe County Destination Dashboard and Performance Index

• Dare County: total spending $1,973,690,000

Dare County is on the coast and is home to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore , Nags Head , and Kill Devil Hills . Read More : The Outer Banks Statistical Information

• Camden County was the lowest county by spending, at just $3,590,000 .

It’s a shame that Camden County is one of the least-visited counties in North Carolina. It is right on the coast, near the border with Virginia, and is home to the Dismal Swamp State Park and delicious food like the Belcross Biscuit Company . 

Lowest spending after Camden County is as follows:

• Jones County: total spending $6,260,000

Jones County is also on the coast, but right next to New Bern. The Hoffman Forest and Croatan National Forest are both in Jones County.

• Tyrrell County: total spending $6,740,000

On the coast hugging Albemarle Sound, Tyrrell County is home to the beautiful Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge . 

• Gates County: total spending $9,790,000

Gates County is on the border with Virginia in northeastern North Carolina. Parts of the Great Dismal Swamp are in Gates County.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Raleigh Durham International Airport are the two largest airports in the state.

Here are key statistics for each one.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)

Source , Source

• Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) is the busiest airport, serving almost 48 million passengers in 2022.
• As of September 2023, CLT has handled 397,634 flights this year. 316,734 are classified as air carriers (i.e. commercial flights).
• Total: 19,619,828 enplaned passengers
• 1,610,378 were on international flights
• 18,009,450 were on domestic flights
• Total: 19,737,696 deplaned passengers .
• 17,553,903 ( 89.4% ) of enplaned passengers
• 17,639,602 (89.3%) of deplaned passengers

Raleigh Durham International Airport (RDU)

• Raleigh Durham International Airport (RDU) is the second-busiest airport, serving a total of 11.8 million passengers in 2022 .
• Total : 5,348,708 enplaned passengers.
• Total: 5,314,936 enplaned passengers, after subtracting connecting flights.
• 176,788 were on international flights.
• 4,590,540 passengers have been served by major carriers.
• 710,557 passengers have been served by regional carriers.
• Total: 5,355,374 deplaned passengers. 
• Total: 5,328,328 deplaned passengers, after subtracting connecting flights.
• 171,493 were on international flights.
• 4,606,482 were on major carriers.
• 700,140 were on regional carriers.
• The busiest airline at RDU for 2023 is Delta, followed by American.

Below data is total year-to-date, as of September 1, 2023.

• The hotel occupancy rate is 63.4% .
• The hotel average daily rate (ADR) is $124 per night .
• Hotels have brought in a total of $4.4 billion in revenue.

Vacation Rentals

• The vacation rental occupancy rate is 58.5% .
• The vacation rental average daily rate (ADR) is $319 per night .
• Vacation rentals have brought in a total of $2.1 billion in revenue.

National Parks

There are a total of 12 parks in North Carolina managed by the National Park Service (NPS). Only one of those, the Great Smoky Mountains , is a National Park.

Here are key statistics about popular NPS parks in North Carolina.

Great Smoky Mountains

• There were a total of 12,937,633 visitors in 2022.

As of September 2023, for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park:

• There have been 9,816,415 visitors this year.
• This represents a 1.2% increase from last year (2022) at the same time.
• The most popular access point is the Sugarlands Visitor Center , which is actually in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It has welcomed 3,070,959 visitors , or 31.3% of all visitors this year.
• The most popular access point in North Carolina is the Oconaluftee Visitor Center , in Cherokee, NC. It has welcomed 1,747,775 visitors , or 17.8% of all visitors this year.

Blue Ridge Parkway

• There were a total of 15,711,004 visitors in 2022.
• 14,485 visitors have stayed at the Pisgah Inn .
• 12,068 visitors have stayed at the Peaks of Otter Lodge .
• The most popular campground overall is the Mount Pisgah Campground . 12,306 tent campers and 10,028 RV campers have stayed overnight there.
• The most popular tent campground is the Julian Price Campground . 14,261 tent campers have stayed overnight there. 6,953 RV campers have stayed overnight there.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore

• There were a total of 2,862,844 visitors in 2022.

As of September 2023, this year:

• There have been a total of 2,359,122 visitors.
• This is a 1.8% decrease from the same time last year.
• The Hatteras Island Visitor Center has welcomed 309,025 visitors .
• The Bodie Island Visitor Center has welcomed 121,272 visitors .
• There have been 65,887 tent overnight stays and 68,647 RV overnight stays.

Cape Lookout National Seashore

• There were a total of 541,533 visitors in 2022.

As of October 2023, this year:

• There have been a total of 433,475 visitors.
• This is a 10.1% decrease from the same time last year.
• 194,772 visitors came by private boat .
• The Harkers Island Picnic Area has welcomed 62,722 visitors .

Restaurants

Here are some key statistics to know about North Carolina restaurants, which are supported by both locals and visitors:

• There are a total of 22,097 restaurants and places to eat and drink in North Carolina.
• Foodservice jobs accounted for 10% of all employment in North Carolina in 2022, or a total of 492,100 jobs .
• The foodservice industry has estimated 2022 revenues of $30 billion in North Carolina.

The Bottom Line

North Carolina is a bounty of scenic beauty, trendy cities, and good food, so it’s no wonder it’s such a popular place to visit. Travel and tourism is a big source of income, jobs, and tax revenue for North Carolinians.

This report, which compiles data from numerous sources, provides a comprehensive picture of travel and tourism in the Tarheel State.

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