News

Henderson County among big gainers in tourism

By Bill Moss, Published: August 23, 2016

Henderson County was one of four counties with the largest increase in tourism spending by domestic visitors, up by 4.7 percent to $257.95 million over 2014 figures, new state figures showed.

Henderson County was ranked 15th in travel impact among North Carolina's 100 counties in 2015. Total payroll generated by the tourism industry in Henderson County was $46.85 million. State tax revenue generated in Henderson County totaled $11.74 million through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income. Approximately $10.99 million in local taxes were generated from sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses, a $259.43 tax saving to each county resident.

Visit North Carolina, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, released the 2015 county economic impact numbers. The annual study is commissioned by Visit North Carolina and conducted by the U.S. Travel Association. The study uses sales and tax revenue data, employment figures and other industry and economic data to determine the overall impact of visitor spending in North Carolina.