Wilkes and 96 Other NC Counties Saw Increases

There was an increase for almost all including Wilkes. Governor Pat McCrory and the Department of Commerce announced this week that 97 of the state’s 100 counties saw increases in visitor spending in 2014. Data from Visit North Carolina showed that visitor spending neared $5 billion in Mecklenburg, topped $2 billion in Wake and topped $1 billion in Guilford and Dare counties. Rounding out the top ten counties for visitor spending in the state were Buncombe, Forsyth, Durham, New Hanover, Brunswick and Cumberland counties. Domestic visitors spent a record $21.3 billion statewide in 2014, an increase of 5.5 percent from the previous year. State tax receipts as a result of visitor spending topped $1 billion in 2014, and local tax revenues directly resulting from visitor spending totaled more than $636 million. Visitor expenditures directly supported 204,909 jobs and generated more than $4.9 billion in payroll income across North Carolina.  “Tourism is a major force in North Carolina’s economic development,” said Governor McCrory.  For Wilkes County, visitor spending increased 3.8 percent which means that visitor spending in Wilkes increased from 67.48 million to 70.4 million last year.