Wilmington,
NC – August 2018 / Newsmaker Alert / Kim Hufham, President/CEO
of the New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority, is pleased to
share
positive news announced Thursday (August 23) by N.C. Secretary of Commerce
Anthony M. Copeland. Tourism spending by domestic visitors to the state
and to New Hanover County increased in 2017, according to an annual
study commissioned by Visit North
Carolina, a unit of the Economic Development
Partnership of North Carolina.
The annual county-by-county
tourism economic impact study reveals that visitor spending rose in all
100 North Carolina counties, while 90 percent of the state’s counties saw
direct tourism employment growth during 2017. New Hanover County was among
the counties that experienced an increase in visitor spending in 2017,
with a county-wide economic impact from domestic travel estimated at approximately
$578.22 million, representing a 4.32% increase over 2016 expenditures.
New Hanover maintains its rank as number 8 among North Carolina’s 100 counties
in tourism expenditures.
The study also reveals that
in 2017 Travel and Tourism directly provided more than 6,320 jobs in New
Hanover County that supported a payroll of $141.30 million. Travel and
Tourism in our county also generated $51.58 million in state and local
tax receipts. Travel-generated state and local tax revenues saved each
New Hanover County resident an estimated $226.98.
“We are pleased to report
that tourism spending and direct tourism employment for New Hanover County
increased in 2017, representing our seventh consecutive record-breaking
year,” states Kim
Hufham. “We are further encouraged that New Hanover County Room Occupancy
Tax [ROT] collections for fiscal year 2017/2018 also experienced growth.
Based on ROT reports for fiscal year July 2017 through June 2018, countywide
collections were up 3.52% over prior year, setting a new ROT record for
the seventh consecutive year, with over $12.9 million in collections. When
tourism revenues are up it not only means more jobs and a better quality
of life for our local citizens, it also means more money to fund beach
renourishment, the Wilmington
Convention Center and other tourism-related projects.”
Travel and Tourism is an
important economic generator that infuses millions of new dollars into
our local economy each year. Travel and Tourism is also among the state’s
fastest growing industries. Domestic visitors to and within North Carolina
spent a record $23.99 billion in 2017, an increase of 4.2% percent from
2016. The study also reveals that state tax receipts, as a result of visitor
spending, topped $1.2 billion in 2017.
The New Hanover County Tourism
Development Authority d/b/a Wilmington
and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau is the official destination
marketing organization that stimulates economic development through the
promotion of travel and tourism. For more information on Wilmington and
its Island Beaches, visit WilmingtonAndBeaches.com.
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About Wilmington and
its Island Beaches
One destination and four
unique settings promise extraordinary experiences and unlimited vacation
choices in Wilmington, North Carolina and its Island Beaches. North Carolina’s
most accessible coastal destination is surrounded by water, history and
natural beauty at every turn. From a 230-plus-block National Register Historic
District, to colorful beaches|–|Carolina
Beach,
Kure
Beach and Wrightsville
Beach|–|each
destination with its own distinctive personality is the perfect connection
to see where the water takes you. For more information, go to
WilmingtonAndBeaches.com
or call 800-641-7082. Find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/CapeFearCoastNC
and Twitter and Instagram,
@WilmingtoNCoast.
Media Contact:
Wilmington
and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau
Connie
Nelson
Communications/PR
Director
910-332-8751
866-266-9690
ext. 120 |