ASHEVILLE, N.C. (NCN News) – We’re hearing the latest numbers on tourism in the Tar Heel State – with visitors spending almost $37 billion dollars in 2024.
Those numbers were released Tuesday (March 17) at the Visit NC annual tourism conference in Asheville.
Domestic and international visitors spent $36.7 billion in North Carolina in 2024. Visitor spending adds more than $100 million to the state’s economy every day, generating $7.3 million in daily tax revenue. More than 230,000 North Carolinians work in tourism-related industries, and tourism saves the average North Carolina household nearly $600 a year in state and local taxes.
Governor Josh Stein spoke at the conference about the strength of North Carolina’s tourism industry.
“North Carolina is a place worth visiting and worth coming back to again and again,” said Stein. “Whether you’re skiing in our mountains in the winter or swimming along the Outer Banks in the summer or watching NASCAR races in the spring or fall, our state offers something for everyone to rediscover what makes North Carolina unforgettable.”
Last month, Stein visited several of North Carolina’s six ski resorts to highlight the mountains that make North Carolina the Winter Capital of the South. The state’s ski industry generates more than $244 million annually and attracts more than 780,000 visitors each year. Last year, Governor Josh Stein and First Lady Anna Stein launched the “Rediscover the Unforgettable” tourism initiative to encourage travel to western North Carolina to spark local economies.