Report: Tourism spending showed upswing until March

Details: Lance Martin; News; 12 October 2020; 2077

Domestic visitors to and within Halifax County spent $106.52 million in 2019, an increase of 5 percent from 2018.

The data comes from an annual study commissioned by Visit North Carolina, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.

“We are delighted to report that 2019 was a record-breaking year for tourism spending in Halifax County,” said Lori Medlin, president and CEO of the Halifax County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Realizing the potential of the tourism industry in Halifax County is our goal. Our community depends on these dollars, and we are committed to growing their impact.”

Tourism impact highlights for 2019:

The travel and tourism industry directly employs more than 580 and indirectly employs over 1,000 people in Halifax County, NC.

The total payroll generated by the tourism industry in 2019 was over $20 million.

State tax revenue generated in Halifax County totaled $6.5 million through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income.

About $2.58 million in local taxes were generated from sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses.

Visitors to North Carolina set a record for spending in 2019. The $26.7 billion in total spending represented an increase of 5.6 percent from 2018.

These statistics are from the Economic Impact of Travel on North Carolina Counties, 2019. The study was prepared for Visit North Carolina by the U.S. Travel Association.

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“The numbers confirm the strength of North Carolina’s tourism industry as an anchor of economic development,” said Wit Tuttell, director of Visit North Carolina. “As the number six state in the country for overnight visitation, we can attribute our success to the natural beauty and authenticity that visitors experience, and to a passionate effort to inform and inspire travelers. The money they spend benefits every one by sustaining jobs and reducing our residents’ tax burden.”

With regards to the future of the tourism industry in Halifax County, in a recent presentation to the Halifax County Board of Commissioners, Medlin said, “2020 began with an upswing in spending, and we were prepared to welcome a record number of visitors to our county.

“March 2020 stopped us in our tracks. COVID-19 has caused an unprecedented crisis for the tourism industry. Tourist arrivals are projected to plunge by 60 to 80 percent in 2020, and tourism spending is not likely to return to pre-crisis levels until 2024.”

Medlin said, however, “ We met the crisis head-on by reaching out to our partners in the hotel, restaurant, and attraction industry and sharing any and all assistance resources with them. We created videos and digital content to encourage businesses to stay open and conform to the new COVID regulations. The HCCVB began managing our message and expenses immediately upon learning of the expected shutdowns and limits on travel. We moved our ad buys and canceled where possible.”

Beyond immediate measures to support the tourism sector, Medlin said, “We are also shifting to develop recovery measures. It’s complicated, and planning a marketing message as we reopen Halifax County is very challenging. We are also ready to pull back and adjust our sails if needed. More testing equals more positive results; the public’s willingness to wear masks or practice social distancing and the destinations feeling positive about welcoming visitors who may bring COVID-19 to their doors continues to affect tourism.

“We know this recovery will take years, but we are hopeful that with our location as a drive market and our attributes of being a rural area, we will weather the crisis and come back stronger than ever. After all, we are Halifax County Strong.”

TAGS: halifaxcountynews, roanokerapidsnews, halifaxcountyconventionandvisitorsbureau, visitnorthcarolina, covid19

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