Governor Pat McCrory announced Monday that North Carolina tourism generated record visitor spending in 2015 with a total of $21.9 billion, a 2.7 percent increase over 2014 which outpaced the national average for growth last year of only 2.1 percent. Additionally, tourism industry-supported employment topped 211,000 jobs to set another record for the state.  Governor McCrory, who proclaimed May 1-7, 2016, as Tourism Week in North Carolina, applauded the growth in direct tourism employment, which was up 3.2 percent over 2014. Payroll income grew even more, increasing 6.5 percent to top $5 billion for the first time.  The figures are from research conducted by the U.S. Travel Association.  Tourism Week in North Carolina is part of National Travel & Tourism Week, which also runs May 1-7. The state’s nine Welcome Centers will host activities throughout the week.