GREENVILLE, N.C. — Domestic and international visitors to and within Pitt County spent $290.97 million in 2022, an increase of 13.2%  from $257.06 million 2021. The data comes from an annual study commissioned by Visit North Carolina, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.

“We are thrilled to see a double digit increase in our year over year tourism numbers,” stated Andrew Schmidt, President & CEO of Visit Greenville, NC. “Travel and tourism continues to play an ever-increasing role in the economic health of Greenville and Pitt County, and we look forward to working with all of our partners in expanding this positive momentum.”

2022 Tourism Impact Highlights for Greenville-Pitt County:

  • 2,004- People directly employed in the travel and tourism industry in Pitt County  

  • $68.9 million- Total payroll generated by the tourism industry in Pitt County 

  • $10.9 million- State tax revenue generated in Pitt County totaled through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income. 

  • $8.5 million- in local taxes were generated from sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses.

  • $112.30- Saved by local residents in taxes due to the Pitt County travel and tourism industry

  • 23rd out of North Carolina’s 100 counties in tourism spending

2022 Greenville-Pitt County Tourism Spending Breakdown by Segment:

  • Lodging- $59.37 million

  • Food & Beverage- $103.58 million

  • Recreation- $34.9 million

  • Retail- $22.48 million

  • Transportation- $70.61 million

These statistics come from the “Economic Impact of Travel on North Carolina Counties 2022,” which can be accessed at partners.visitnc.com/economic-impact-studies. The study was prepared for Visit North Carolina by Tourism Economics in collaboration with the U.S. Travel Association.

Statewide, visitor spending in 2022 rose 15.2 percent to reach a record $33.3 billion. Direct tourism employment increased 9.8 percent to 216,900. 

“North Carolina’s tourism industry draws its success from the authentic culture and experiences that flourish across a spectrum of settings,” said Wit Tuttell, Visit NC’s executive director. “The new report from Tourism Economics shows growth beyond our celebrated mountains and beaches to our urban centers and surrounding suburban and rural counties. Tourism’s strength across the state underscores the industry’s role as an anchor of economic development. The money visitors spend benefits everyone by sustaining jobs and reducing the tax burden for every resident.”

Highlights from the statewide report include: 

Total spending by domestic and international visitors in North Carolina reached $33.3 billion in 2022.That sum represents a 15.2 percent increase over 2021 expenditures. The figure falls 14 percent above the record $29.22 billion spent in 2019. 

  • Domestic travelers spent a record $32.4 billion in 2022. Spending was up 13.4 percent from $28.6 billion in 2021. 

  • International travelers spent $910 million in 2022, up 170 percent from the previous year. 

  • Visitors to North Carolina generated $4.2 billion in federal, state and local taxes in 2022. The total represents a 7.9 percent increase from 2020. 

  • State tax receipts from visitor spending rose 6.5 percent to nearly $1.3 billion in 2022. 

  • Local tax receipts grew 3.5 percent to nearly $1.2 billion.

  • Direct tourism employment in North Carolina increased 9.8 percent to 216,900. 

  • Direct tourism payroll increased 13.5 percent to $8.7 billion. 

  • Visitors spend more than $91 million per day in North Carolina. That spending adds $6.7 million per day to state and local tax revenues (about $3.5 million in state taxes and $3.2 million in local taxes). 

  • Each North Carolina household saved $512 on average in state and local taxes as a direct result of visitor spending in the state. Savings per capita averaged $230.

  • North Carolina hosted approximately 43 million visitors in 2022.