County Spending by Domestic Visitors Increased by 6.1% Percent in Expenditures. The North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development announced today that domestic visitors to and within Wilkes County spent $57.79M in 2010, an increase 6.1% from 2009.
This continued growth of the tourism industry in Wilkes County is primarly attributed to the promotion and marketing completed by theWilkes Chamber of Commerce. The marketing efforts of the Chamber of Commerce highlight the festivals, events, attractions, parks, recreational opportunities, and natural beauty of Wilkes County that brings travelers to the area. The addition of the Northwest NC Visitor Center which opened October 2009 and managed by the Chamber, have given travelers a “welcoming place” to pick up printed information and gain a greater knowledge of Wilkes County. The chamber’s cooperative marketing and affiliation with such organizations as; Cascade Highlands (a NC/VA marketing collaborative), High Country Host, Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, and Yadkin Valley Heritage Corridor provide Wilkes County Tourism enhanced promotion as well as national and international tourist exposure.
Wilkes Chamber works with the NC Division of Tourism and their Extranet Database in maintaining a current listing of local accommodations, campgrounds, events, atrractions, and recreational facilities kep in the statewide online database. The chamber is reimbused in the amount of approximately $8,000 for advertising and marketing annually through the Wilkesboro TDA. These funds enable the chamber to have marketing partnerships with High Country Host Marketing Group and with the Blue Ridge Parkway Association. Tourism marketing funds normally acquired through accommodation occupancy tax does not exist throughout Wilkes County, only in the Town of Wilkesboro and therefore, funds for tourism marketing is limited. However, the chamber markets tourism by sending visitor information and packets to individuals interested in visiting the area. Many of these individuals are directed to Wilkes through leads derived from the High Country and Blue Ridge Parkway affiliation and partnerships. The Chamber’s website HYPERLINK "http://www.ExploreWilkes.com" www.ExploreWilkes.com provides worldwide tourism exposure as it tells the story of Wilkes through print and beautiful images of the county.
Tourism impact highlights for 2010:
The travel and tourism industry directly employees more than 480 in Wilkes.
Total payroll generated by the tourism industry in Wilkes was $8.4M.
State tax revenue generated in Wilkes totaled $3.07M through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income. Approximately $1.36M in local taxes were generated from sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses.
Gov. Beverly Perdue announced in March that visitors to North Carolina spent a record $17.0 billion in 2010, an increase of 9.0 percent from 2009.
These statistics are from the “2010 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 include:
2010 total visitor spending saw an increase of 9.0 percent to $17.0 billion, up from $15.6 billion in 2009.
The travel and tourism industry directly employees more than 183,000 North Carolinians.
The tourism industry generated nearly $1.5 billion in tax revenues. State tax revenue totaled $946 million through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income. Some $544 million in local taxes were generated from sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses.
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MEDIA CONTACTS: Linda Cheek, Wilkes Chamber of Commerce 336.838.8662
Margo Metzger, North Carolina Division of Tourism
919-733-7420; mmetzger@nccommerce.com
919-733-7420; mmetzger@nccommerce.com
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