Photo: Visit NC

May 10. The North Carolina tourism economy reached its highest level ever with travelers spending more than $33.3 billion on trips to and within the state last year. The previous record of $29.22 billion was set in pre-pandemic 2019.

Visitor spending rose 15 percent from 2021 levels, according to a NC Dept. of Commerce report.

NC tourism facts: 

Biltmore / Photo: Visit NC

—North Carolina hosted approximately 43 million visitors in 2022.

—2022 spending was 14 percent above the record $29.22 billion spent in 2019.

—Domestic travelers spent a record $32.4 billion in 2022, up 13.4 percent from 2021.

—International travelers spent $910 million in 2022, up 170 percent from the previous year.

—Visitors generated $4.2 billion in federal, state and local taxes in 2022.

—State tax receipts from visitor spending rose 6.5 percent to nearly $1.3 billion in 2022.

—Local tax receipts grew 3.5 percent to nearly $1.2 billion.

—Direct tourism employment in North Carolina increased 9.8 percent to 216,900.

—Direct tourism payroll increased 13.5 percent to $8.7 billion.

—Visitors spend more than $91 million per day in North Carolina. That spending adds $6.7 million per day to state and local tax revenues (about $3.5 million in state taxes and $3.2 million in local taxes).

Photo: Visit NC