2022 Record Breaking Visitor Impact for Rockingham County
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-Rockingham County Visitor’s Spending Increases by 13.2% to $88.19 Million-
Rockingham County, NC-(August 24, 2023) – Domestic and international visitors spent a record $88.19 million in 2022 in Rockingham County, an increase of 13.2% from 2021 and a 9.2% increase from Rockingham County’s highest pre-covid numbers in 2019.
Rockingham County tourism impact highlights for 2022:
• The travel and tourism industry directly employed more than 656 people in Rockingham County.
• Total payroll generated by the tourism industry in Rockingham County was $23.1 million.
• State tax revenue generated in Rockingham County totaled $3.6 million through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income. About $2.9 million in local taxes were generated from sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses.
The report also provided visitor spending based on a variety of sectors including food and beverage, transportation, lodging, recreation, and retail. Visit NC reported that food and beverage spending led Rockingham County at $31.26 million (an increase of 7.88% from 2021), followed by transportation expenditures at $21.95 million (an incredible 24.29% increase from 2021), $18.2 million in lodging (up 19.34% from 2021), $10.22 million in recreation (an 8.61% increase from 2021), and $6.57 million in retail (a 4.29% increase from 2021). The overall increase across all sectors landed Rockingham County a spending growth rate of 13.2%, making it the 22nd fastest-growing tourism revenue county in the state.
These statistics come from the “Economic Impact of Travel on North Carolina Counties 2022,” which can be accessed at partners.visitnc.com/economic-impact-studies. The study was prepared for Visit North Carolina, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, by Tourism Economics in collaboration with the U.S. Travel Association.
“2022’s record-breaking tourism numbers reflect the tremendous collaborative effort we consistently see between our local industries, small businesses, recreation departments, and government agencies,” said Lindsay Pegg, Rockingham County Tourism Manager. “Attracting and accommodating record crowds amid national economic distress is a true testament to the dedication of our county’s tourism industry as a whole. Tourism is vital to the economic health of local communities and I am proud of our work as a county and our continued success.”
Statewide, visitor spending in 2022 rose 15.2% to reach a record $33.3 billion. Direct tourism employment increased 9.8 percent to 216,900.
“North Carolina’s tourism industry draws its success from the authentic culture and experiences that flourish across a spectrum of settings,” said Wit Tuttell, Visit NC’s executive director. “The new report from Tourism Economics shows growth beyond our celebrated mountains and beaches to our urban centers and surrounding suburban and rural counties. Tourism’s strength across the state underscores the industry’s role as an anchor of economic development. The money visitors spend benefits everyone by sustaining jobs and reducing the tax burden for every resident.”
Highlights from the statewide report include:
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. The figure falls 14 percent above the record $29.22 billion spent in 2019.
• Domestic travelers spent a record $32.4 billion in 2022. Spending was up 13.4 percent from $28.6 billion in 2021.
• International travelers spent $910 million in 2022, up 170 percent from the previous year.
• Visitors to North Carolina generated $4.2 billion in federal, state and local taxes in 2022. The total represents a 7.9 percent increase from 2020.
• State tax receipts from visitor spending rose 6.5 percent to nearly $1.3 billion in 2022.
• Local tax receipts grew 3.5 percent to nearly $1.2 billion.
• Direct tourism employment in North Carolina increased 9.8 percent to 216,900.
• Direct tourism payroll increased 13.5 percent to $8.7 billion.
• Visitors spend more than $91 million per day in North Carolina. That spending adds $6.7 million per day to state and local tax revenues (about $3.5 million in state taxes and $3.2 million in local taxes).
• Each North Carolina household saved $512 on average in state and local taxes as a direct result of visitor spending in the state. Savings per capita averaged $230.
• North Carolina hosted approximately 43 million visitors in 2022.
Visit RoCo News Release • August 24, 2023 • Tara R. Martin, BS, Marketing Manager, Economic Development
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