By Karissa Minn
kminn@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — As the economy slowly strengthened last year, so did the Salisbury-Rowan County tourism industry, which saw a 4.8 percent increase in visitor spending from 2010 levels.
According to data released this week from the N.C. Division of Tourism Sports and Film Development, domestic visitors spent $130.62 million in the county in 2011, compared to $124.59 million in 2010.
That’s an all-time high in tourism revenue for Rowan County, said James Meacham, director of the Rowan County Tourism Authority. The increase is slightly lower than the previous year’s 5.8 percent increase, but Meacham said he’s glad that local tourism continues to see moderate growth.
“We had a strong recovery in business travel during the week, and we were able to grow weekend business some in 2011 as well,” Meacham said.
The county hosted a couple of new soccer tournaments last year, he said, and it also became the sponsoring community for the Giordana Crossroads Classic bicycle race.
Rowan County’s local tax receipts from tourism-related businesses equaled $4.32 million in 2011, up from $4.12 million the previous year. Those businesses also generated $7.07 million in state taxes.
In 2011, domestic visitors to and within North Carolina spent a record $18 billion, which represents an increase of 8 percent from the previous year.
All of the state’s 100 counties saw their visitor spending rise. Davidson County, which has seen strong tourism growth for the past two years, is tied with Chatham for the biggest change at 10.8 percent.
In 2009, Rowan was one of just six counties to see any growth in tourism expenditures. That total grew to 98 in 2010.
“This was the first year in maybe six or seven years that all counties were up, which is good,” Meacham said. “That’s positive for all of North Carolina. I think it just speaks to the importance of travel and tourism in the state.”
For the first time, state tax receipts as a result of visitor spending neared $1 billion last year. Local tax revenues totaled nearly $561 million.
Visitor expenditures directly generated 187,900 jobs and more than $4 billion in payroll income within North Carolina in 2011.
Meacham said the start of 2012 looked strong for tourism spending in Salisbury and Rowan County, but it may not end as well as last year.
“We’ve seen some of the impact of fuel prices and a little bit of the slowing economy in 2012,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll see the same growth, but we have essentially half a year left.”
This half of the year includes the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte at the beginning of September. Meacham said it’s hard to work out the local impact of the convention right now, but based on advanced hotel bookings, “it is going to be substantial.”
“It’ll be felt beyond hotels — it’ll be at restaurants, gas stations and airports,” Meacham said. “There’s a lot of folks coming to the region for this conference.”
Tourism officials also recently approved a master plan for the next 10 years. Their goal is to double the economic impact of tourism in the county to $250 million in 2022.
The master plan outlines ways that Salisbury and Rowan County could become a stand-alone destination for visitors and encourage them to stay for more than just day trips. Meacham said its implementation likely will be the biggest influence on local tourism for the next several years.
The 2011 visitor spending figures come from an annual study commissioned by the Department of Commerce, Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development and conducted by the U.S. Travel Association. The study uses sales and tax revenue data plus employment figures to determine the overall impact of visitor spending in North Carolina.
Contact reporter Karissa Minn at 704-797-4222.
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Local tourism facts
• Domestic tourism in Rowan County generated an economic impact of $130.62 million in 2011. This was a 4.84 percent change from 2010.
• In 2011, Rowan County ranked 29 in travel impact among North Carolina’s 100 counties.
• More than 1,180 jobs in Rowan County were directly attributable to travel and tourism.
• Travel generated a $20.67 million payroll in 2011.
• State and local tax revenues from travel to Rowan County amounted to $11.39 million. This represents a $82.52 tax saving to each county resident.
• Popular attractions include the North Carolina Transportation Museum at Spencer Shops State Historic Site, Salisbury National Historic District and the Salisbury National Cemetery and Confederate Prison.
Source: N.C. Department of Commerce, Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development