Durham Tourism Surpasses One Billion Dollars In The Last Year, Boosting Local Economy And Job Growth In The County Of North Carolina, Usa

Published on September 5, 2025

In 2024, Durham tourism reached a caller milestone, surpassing one cardinal dollars successful spending. This awesome accomplishment has greatly boosted nan section economy and contributed to important job growth successful Durham County, North Carolina, USA. The dependable emergence successful visitant spending reflects Durham’s expanding fame arsenic a destination for some home and world travelers. With tourism playing a pivotal domiciled successful driving economic description , nan metropolis has seen a singular summation successful jobs, peculiarly successful nan hospitality and nutrient work sectors.

The latest information from Visit NC, portion of nan Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, reveals nan profound economical effect of tourism successful Durham. The study indicates that nan $1.16 cardinal spent by visitors generated much than $80 cardinal successful authorities and section taxes for Durham County successful 2024. These costs thief support nationalist services and organization initiatives, further cementing nan value of tourism arsenic an economical engine.

Susan Amey, President and CEO of Discover Durham, highlights that nan benefits of tourism widen beyond nan obvious. While it’s easy to attraction connected nan nonstop spending, tourism plays a pivotal domiciled successful sustaining section industries that style nan value of life for Durham residents. She points retired that tourism supports a wide scope of sectors, including nutrient and beverage, entertainment, and retail, pinch section mini businesses benefiting nan astir from nan influx of visitors.

Tourism Supports Thousands of Local Jobs

Tourism isn’t conscionable astir money spent; it besides creates important employment opportunities. The Visit NC study reports that tourism supported complete 7,700 jobs successful nan County, a emergence of thirteen percent from 2023. These jobs generated 3 100 and seventeen cardinal dollars successful full payroll, marking an summation of nett thirteen cardinal dollars compared to nan erstwhile year. The tourism manufacture successful Durham straight sustains astir two-thirds of each nutrient and beverage jobs, underlining nan sector’s basal domiciled successful keeping locally owned businesses thriving.

The divers employment opportunities widen crossed nan full tourism ecosystem, from hospitality to transportation, retail, and work sectors. As nan number of visitors continues to grow, Durham’s occupation marketplace is benefiting, pinch a much important payroll supporting nan section workforce.

Statewide Tourism Growth: A Bigger Picture

While Durham County continues to spot awesome growth, nan full authorities of North Carolina is benefiting from tourism spending. In 2024, tourism spending successful North Carolina reached a record-breaking complete thirty-six cardinal dollars, marking a much than 3 percent summation from 2023. Visitors spent a regular mean of complete a 100 cardinal dollars crossed nan state, providing a important economical boost.

Domestic travelers contributed nan astir to nan state’s tourism spending, pinch $35.6 cardinal successful expenditures, up from $34.6 cardinal nan erstwhile year. International travelers besides played an important role, spending $1.2 billion, a 16.5% summation from 2023. This increasing inclination highlights North Carolina’s entreaty arsenic a destination for world visitors, pinch its rich | cultural, culinary, and earthy offerings drafting visitors from astir nan world.

Tax Revenue Benefits and Community Impact

Tourism’s economical effect isn’t constricted to nonstop spending. The authorities and section taxation gross generated from visitant spending successful North Carolina reached astir $4.6 cardinal successful 2024. Of this, section taxation receipts grew by 4.3%, totaling astir $1.3 billion, while authorities taxation receipts roseate by 1.1%, bringing successful adjacent to $1.4 billion.

This taxation gross is important for backing nationalist services and infrastructure, providing a savings use to North Carolina residents. In 2024, nan mean family saved $593 owed to visitant spending, pinch each resident redeeming $241. These savings stem from nan taxes generated by out-of-state and world visitors who lend importantly to section coffers.

Looking to nan Future: Durham Next

With Durham’s tourism manufacture continuing to thrive, section leaders are looking astatine ways to reinvest successful nan assemblage for further growth. Discover Durham played a pivotal domiciled successful nan creation of nan Destination Master Plan, known arsenic Durham Next, which intends to further heighten nan city’s tourism infrastructure. Tara Kenchen, Executive Director of Durham Next, explains that nan caller information from Visit NC will let them to research opportunities to amended service some residents and visitors.

Kenchen emphasizes that moreover mini investments successful tourism-related infrastructure, specified arsenic enhancing nationalist spaces and processing caller programs, tin person a important affirmative effect connected nan community. By strategically reinvesting a information of nan occupancy taxation generated by visitors, Durham tin further amended its value of life while fostering greater economical opportunities for its residents.

Sustaining Durham’s Growth Through Tourism

As Durham continues to capitalize connected its tourism industry, nan metropolis is proving that nan benefits of a thriving visitant system widen acold beyond nan hospitality industry. Local businesses are flourishing, jobs are being created, and taxation revenues are helping money basal services and programs. With a clear attraction connected reinvestment and growth, Durham is well-positioned to proceed its occurrence arsenic a apical destination for travelers.

As Amey aptly puts it, nan economical contributions of tourism successful Durham are often overlooked but are undeniably significant. With much visitors arriving each twelvemonth and a increasing number of industries benefiting from tourism, nan early of Durham’s section system looks bright. The metropolis is poised to proceed its upward trajectory, leveraging tourism arsenic a cardinal driver of semipermanent economical success.