County spending increases by 8.6%

Elizabethtown — Domestic and international visitors to and within Bladen County spent $55.99 million in 2023, an increase of 8.6% from 2022. The data comes from an annual study commissioned by VisitNC , a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.

“We are glad to see this increase in tourism spending and visitors,” Terri Dennison, Chairperson of the Tourism Promotion Committee for the Elizabethtown – White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce said. “Collectively, we are working together to promote Bladen County under the Mother Nature’s Playground brand and it’s paying off. The increase can be directly attributed to our tourism partners enhancing their properties and services and their willingness to expand the tourism season.”

Tourism impact highlights for 2023:

The travel and tourism industry directly employees more than 272 people in Bladen County.

Total payroll generated by the tourism industry in Bladen County was $11.6 million.

State tax revenue generated in Bladen County totaled $2.3 million in state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income. About $1.8 million in local taxes were generated from sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses.

These statistics come from the “Economic Impact of Travel on North Carolina counties 2023,” which can be accessed at partners.visitnc.com/economic-impact-studies . The study was prepared for Visit North Carolina by Tourism Economics.

Statewide, visitor spending in 2023 rose 6.9% to reach a record $35.6 billion. Direct tourism employment increased 4.8% to 227,224.

“The new study underscores the importance of tourism to every county in North Carolina,” said Wit Tuttell, executive director of VisitNC. “There’s a lot of competition for travelers’ time and money, and we owe our success to everything from the state’s scenic beauty and outdoor adventure to our mix of tradition and innovation and our welcoming spirit. Those qualities might be hard to measure, but we can follow the trail to a measurable impact on our workforce, our businesses and our tax base. We look forward to continued success.”

NC tourism facts:

Total spending by domestic and international visitors in North Carolina reached $35.6 billion in 2023. That sum represents a 6.9% increase over 2022 expenditures.

Domestic travelers spent a record $34.6 billion in 2023. Spending was up 6.8% from $32.4 billion in 2022.

International travelers spent $997 million in 2023, up 9.5% from the previous year.

Visitors to North Carolina generated nearly $4.5 billion in federal, state and local taxes in 2023. The total represents a 5.8% increase from 2022.

State tax receipts from visitor spending rose 5.6% to $1.3 billion in 2023.

Local tax receipts grew 5.4% to $1.2 billion.

Direct tourism employment in North Carolina increased 4.8% to 227,224.

Direct tourism payroll increased 6.6% to nearly $9.3 billion.

Visitors spend more than $97 million per day in North Carolina. That spending adds $7.1 million per day to state and local tax revenues (about $3.7 million in state taxes and $3.4 million in local taxes).

Each North Carolina household saved $518 on average in state and local taxes as a direct result of visitor spending in the state. Savings per capita averaged $239.

North Carolina hosted about 43 million visitors in 2023.