Episode Details

North Carolina shattered tourism spending records in 2025, pulling in over $37 billion — a leap from last year’s $36.7 billion — as visitors flooded in despite lingering recovery from Hurricane Helene. The Cape Fear region thrived too, with Pender County seeing $203 million in visitor spending and supporting over 1,000 jobs. Statewide, tourism employment grew slightly, payroll jumped 3.5% to nearly $10 billion, and taxes collected soared past $2.7 billion. While domestic travelers spent more, international visitors spent less. Despite the record-breaking cash flow — averaging over $100 million daily — North Carolina slipped to seventh place nationally for domestic visitors, as fewer people overall chose the state compared to top destinations like California and Florida. Numbers are preliminary, based on Visit North Carolina’s research.

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This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.
Sources:
https://www.wwaytv3.com/north-carolina-sets-new-tourism-spending-record-in-2025/

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