Tourism means big business and big bucks for Burke

Travel and tourism continue to mean big bucks and big business for Burke County.

The county, which is home to two state parks, the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area, numerous municipal trails, the Fonta Flora State Trail, as well as vibrant downtowns in Morganton and Valdese, saw visitors pump $137.75 million into the local economy in 2023.

That represents a 3% increase over 2022 according to figures from an annual study commissioned by VisitNC, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.

Ed Phillips, C.E.O. of the Burke County Tourism Development Authority, reports that visitors to the relocated Burke County Visitor Center are up 80% during the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

Phillips says the increased visibility of the new location has contributed significantly to the increase.

The Visitor Center had been located in the Chamber of Commerce building at the intersection of Green and Meeting streets in Morganton.

The center is now at 140 N. Sterling St., in the midst of an area which is heavily trafficked by pedestrians.

Tourism impact highlights for 2023:

• The travel and tourism industry directly employs more than 865 workers in Burke County.
• Total payroll generated by the tourism industry in Burke County was put at $30.2 million.
• State tax revenue generated in Burke County totaled $5.4 million through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income.
• About $4.1 million in local taxes were generated from occupancy, 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 Visit NC.

“There’s a lot of competition for travelers’ time and money," he continued, "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 percent from $32.4 billion in 2022.
• International travelers spent $997 million in 2023, up 9.5 percent 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 percent 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.