Guilford County, NC, Reports 2012 Visitor Impact

The North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development announced today that domestic visitors to and within Guilford County spent $1,159.15 billion in 2012, an increase of 6.05% from 2011.

"Guilford County continues to rank third in the state in travel and tourism expenditures, with $1,159.15 billion generated in 2012." said Henri Fourrier, President of the Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Travel-related jobs employ a broad and diverse group including airline and hotel employees, restaurants and attractions and here in Guilford County we employ over 12,000 people."

Tourism impact highlights for 2012:

• The travel and tourism industry directly employees more than 12,190 in Guilford County.

• Total payroll generated by the tourism industry in Guilford County was $275.36 million

• State tax revenue generated in Guilford County totaled $58.66 million through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income. Approximately $25.88 million in local taxes were generated from sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses.

• Gov. Pat McCrory announced in May that visitors to North Carolina spent a record $19.4 billion in 2012, an increase of 5.4 percent from 2011.

These statistics are from the "2012 Economic Impact Of Travel On North Carolina Counties." The study was prepared for the North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development by the U.S. Travel Association.

Statewide highlights include:

• State tax receipts as a result of visitor spending neared $1 billion in 2012 and have increased 42 percent in the last 10 years.

• Visitors spend more than $53 million per day in North Carolina and contribute over $4.2 million per day in state and local tax revenues as a result of that spending (about $2.7 million in state taxes and $1.6 million in local taxes).

• The travel and tourism industry directly employees nearly 200,000 North Carolinians.

Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau: The Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is an independent, non-profit governmental authority whose mission is to aggressively market Greensboro's assets, maximizing economic impact while providing excellent visitor service. Guilford County ranks third in the state in travel and tourism expenditures, with over $1 billion generated in 2011 and more than 11,700 people employed in travel-related jobs. For more information: www.visitgreensboronc.com.

Greensboro Sports Commission: The mission of the Greensboro Sports Commission is to foster economic development through coordinating and developing Greensboro's role as a leading site for sports events involving youth, collegiate, amateur and professional organizations. The Greensboro Sports Commission acts as a clearing house for sporting activities in the Greensboro area and assists organizations and promoters in making Greensboro the host city for sports events. For more information: www.greensborosports.org.