Gov claims increase in NC tourist dollars


North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue announced this week that visitors to North Carolina spent a record $17 billion in 2010, an increase of 9 percent from 2009.

The number was higher than the previous record of $16.8 billion set in 2008. The sixth most visited state in the nation, North Carolina gained nearly 2,000 tourism jobs in 2010 while state tax revenues from visitor spending increased 12.6 percent and have increased 16.2 percent since 2007.

“North Carolina’s natural and cultural treasures bring people and dollars into our state,” Gov. Perdue said during remarks at the N.C. Governor’s Conference on Tourism and Hospitality in Asheville. “It’s a consistently growing part of our economy. Visitors and vacationers spend money that helps local economies thrive and creates jobs here in North Carolina, which is my number one priority.”

More than 40,000 businesses in North Carolina directly provide products and services to travelers. Those visitors spend more than $46.6 million per day in North Carolina and contribute nearly $4.1 million per day in state and local tax revenues as a result of that spending, according to the U.S. Travel Association.