2008 Tourism Estimates For Dare County
State Report Shows Tourism-Related Spending Up Nearly 2% To $777.4 million
The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau announced that domestic visitors to and within Dare County spent an estimated $777.41 million dollars in 2008, an increase of 1.9 percent from 2007, according to a North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development county-by-county report. “These figures reflect what we on the Outer Banks of North Carolina have always known, that tourism is our lifeblood,” explains Renee Cahoon, Chairwoman of the Dare County Tourism Board. “The better we are at promoting tourism, the better our economic development will be.”
Tourism impact highlights for 2008: The travel and tourism industry directly employees more than 11,250 people in Dare County. Total payroll generated by the tourism industry in Dare County was $171.14 million. State tax revenue generated in Dare County totaled $37.32 million through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income. Approximately $37.31 million in local taxes were generated from sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses. You can view the full NC county-by-county comparison at nccommerce.com
Gov. Beverly Perdue announced in March that visitors to North Carolina spent a record $16.9 billion in 2008, an increase of 2.1 percent from 2007. “While we recognize that current economic conditions are impacting businesses all across the state — including those in the tourism industry — this continued economic growth, and especially growth in tax revenues, is encouraging,” Perdue said. These statistics are from the “2008 Economic Impact Of Travel On North Carolina Counties.” The study was prepared for the North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development by the U.S. Travel Association.
Statewide highlights for 2008: Total visitor spending saw an increase of 2.1 percent to $16.9 billion, up from $16.5 billion in 2008. The travel and tourism industry directly employees more than 190,000 North Carolinians, up 2 percent from 2008. The tourism industry generated a total of more than $1.3 billion in tax revenues. State tax revenue totaled $815 million through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income. Some $529 million in local taxes were generated from sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses.