South Raleigh News

Today, Governor Roy Cooper and First Lady Kristin Cooper visited Chimney Rock State Park and local shops to highlight North Carolina’s record-breaking tourism industry ahead of Labor Day. The Governor and First Lady were joined by park leadership and local officials as they visited the summit of Chimney Rock and Chimney Rock Village, emphasizing the importance of protecting North Carolina’s natural environment and supporting the tourism economy.

In August, Governor Cooper announced that North Carolina broke tourism spending records in 2023, with visitor spending increasing to $35.6 billion.

“North Carolina’s growing tourism industry plays a critical role in our state’s economy and we are excited to welcome people from all over this Labor Day,” said Governor Cooper. “With beautiful mountain views, amazing state parks, vibrant city life, and scenic beaches, North Carolina has something to offer everyone.”

“Outdoor recreation is a $30 billion industry in our state,” said N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Reid Wilson. “North Carolina’s spectacular natural areas, including our state parks, help drive tourism and contribute to local and regional economies.”

Located in Rutherford County, Chimney Rock State Park offers some of North Carolina's most dramatic mountain scenery, overlooking Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure. The park includes hiking trails, riverside areas, interpretive exhibits, and gift shops.

North Carolina State Parks manages more than 262,000 acres within the state's parks system. It administers the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund as well as a state trails program among other initiatives dedicated to conservation, recreation, and education. The state parks system welcomes more than 19 million visitors annually.

Visitor spending continued to break records for North Carolina in 2023 according to data released by the N.C. Department of Commerce. Travel spending statewide rose 6.9 percent to $35.6 billion in 2023 following a record-breaking increase of 15 percent in 2022. Direct tourism employment also increased statewide by 4.8 percent to 227,000.

Growth was seen across both urban and rural counties with 98 out of North Carolina’s 100 counties seeing increases in spending compared with 2022. Orange, Wake, Camden, and Warren were among the counties leading the state's growth in visitor spending which reached a record $35.6 billion.

Direct tourism employment also saw growth among rural and urban counties with nearly 20 percent experiencing higher than average growth rates. Camden led all counties with a 10 percent increase followed by Orange (up 9.8 percent), Cabarrus (up 9.3 percent), Forsyth (up 8.3 percent), Durham (up 8.1 percent), and Mecklenburg (up 8 percent).

Mecklenburg received $5.8 billion (up 9.6 percent) in traveler expenditures leading all counties while Wake ranked second with $3.3 billion (up 11.4 percent). Buncombe followed with $3 billion (up 3 percent) while Dare recorded $2.1 billion (up 8.8 percent).

Mecklenburg had the largest number of direct tourism employees at 36,310 marking an increase of eight percent from last year while four other counties had more than ten thousand direct tourism employees: Wake (25,984 up by five point seven percent), Buncombe (19,862 up by two point nine percent), Dare (12,564 up by four point four percent) Guilford (11 ,580 up by five point five percentage).

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