Special to IFN
RALEIGH — The overall North Carolina tourism economy continued to thrive in 2024 despite the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.
Travelers spent more than $36.7 billion on trips to and within the state in 2024. The previous record of $35.6 billion was set in 2023.
“As our mountain economies worked to recover from Helene, our Piedmont and coastal destinations remained popular and contributed to the growth of North Carolina’s tourism economy,” Gov. Josh Stein said. “We must continue to support tourism and small businesses in western North Carolina to help them come back stronger.”
The state’s tourism-supported workforce increased by 1.4 percent to 230,338 jobs in 2024. Tourism payroll increased 2.6 percent to $9.5 billion. As a result of visitor spending, state and local governments saw rebounds in tax revenues to nearly $2.7 billion.
The figures are preliminary findings from research commissioned by Visit North Carolina, part of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, and conducted by Tourism Economics. In measuring the economic value of the travel sector, the research incorporates a broad range of data sources to ensure that the entire visitor economy is quantified in detail. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OmniTrak visitor profiles, the U.S. Census, STR, AirDNA and KeyData lodging reports, and the NC Department of Revenue are among the sources included in this comprehensive model.
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.
The statistics report data from a statewide perspective. Later this year, a supplemental report will provide regional and local visitor data, offering a better perspective on Helene’s impact on western North Carolina’s tourism economy.
With nearly 40 million visitors from across the United States, North Carolina ranks No. 5 behind California, Florida, Texas, and New York in domestic visitation. The past four years have seen tight competition with Pennsylvania and Tennessee for fifth place. In addition to 2024’s record spending by domestic travelers, North Carolina also saw gains in the international market. With more than 900,000 international travelers, spending rose 16.5 percent to nearly $1.2 billion.
“North Carolinians in all 100 counties benefit from the money that visitors spend,” said Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. “From our smallest towns to our largest cities, tourism means jobs for more than 50,000 small businesses and our first-in-talent workforce. These workers address travelers’ needs for transportation as well as lodging, dining, shopping, and recreation.”
As a result of travelers’ contributions to state and local tax revenue, North Carolina households average $593 in yearly savings.