PITTSBORO —For the ninth-straight year, spending by tourists in Chatham County saw an increase.
Domestic visitors to Chatham County spent $36.9 million within county limits in 2018, according to a newly released study commissioned by Visit North Carolina, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. The figure represented a 5.4 percent increase from the previous year. Tourism also generated $4.74 million in wages paid to workers, $2.17 million in state tax revenue and around $680,000 in local tax revenue.
“Chatham County offers a diverse, and growing, number of tourism assets appealing to our visitors’ interests and budgets,” Neha Shah, director of the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitors Bureau, said in a press release. “The CVB continues to focus on destination marketing and branding to draw guests to explore our craft beverage sites, farms, local eateries, golf courses, nature places and other sights. We are thrilled to serve as a preferred location for weddings, meetings and events, serving the group market.”
Spending in Chatham last year was part of a record-high in tourism expenditures statewide. The U.S. Travel Association reported earlier this year that $25.3 billion was spent by tourists in 2018, a 5.6 percent increase from 2017.
One barometer of tourism spending is the county’s occupancy tax, a three-percent levy on overnight visitors in local lodging facilities, including online-based rental services. According to the 2019-2020 budget plan, the county’s occupancy tax collection for the first nine months of fiscal year 2019 was 19 percent higher than collections for the previous year. Occupancy tax revenues were $118,808 for fiscal year 2018 and projected to reach $125,000 for fiscal year 2019.
County Manager Dan LaMontagne said in a press release that visitors to Chatham are just experiencing what people who have lived in the county already know.
“With the combination of our rich historical and cultural sites, along with our recent developments and attractions, Chatham County residents and employees have long known how great of a community this is to live, work and raise their families,” LaMontagne said. “It is exciting that many folks from other areas are now discovering what a special place Chatham County is, and we hope that they will come back to enjoy future visits as well as spread the word with others about the greatness of Chatham County.”