North Raleigh Today

In 2019, Wake County saw a record high number of tourists and money spent by those visitors, a new report found. 

The number of visitors to the county in 2019 increased 6% to 17.9 million compared to 2018, the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Raleigh) reported on Aug. 26. These visitors spent $2.9 billion, which is a 7.5% increase from the previous year.

Tourists spent most of their money on foods and beverages, which accounted for $754 million of the $2.9 billion, the bureau reported. Lodging was the second-highest at $681 million spent in 2019.

Tourists spent most of their money on food and beverages, totaling $754 million. | Stock Photo

The $2.9 billion spent also generated $284 million for local and state revenues, the bureau reported. These revenues go toward education, water, sewer and other amenities.

"In fact, the research showed each household in Wake County would pay an additional $727 in taxes without the funds provided to local and state governments through travel and tourism — showcasing just how valuable tourism is to the local economy," the bureau said.

Not only did the tourists bring in money, but they helped create work for 28,045 residents of Wake County.

"In 2019, we put more than 28,000 people to work across Wake County. However, no industry has been hit harder by the COVID-19 pandemic than the hospitality sector," Dennis Edwards, president and CEO of the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, said in the report. "This research shows just how much the health of our community's economy depends on a strong travel economy."