Last year, the Historic Triangle boasted its highest tourism revenue of the past 10 years.
Tourism numbers began increasing in the area in 2010 — with a 4.2 percent increase last year alone — and visitor spending capped at $1.08 billion last year, according to a news release from the Greater Williamsburg Chamber and Tourism Alliance.
This information comes days after Gov. Bob McDonnell’s announcement Virginia experienced an increase in tourism by 4 percent in 2012.
“I think that the important thing with tourism expenditures is it’s believed to be the best way to look at the way the tourism economy is doing,” said Bob Harris, senior vice president of tourism for the Alliance in an interview.
Harris said trying to track visitor count to the destination is subjective because the definition of visitor can change from person to person. Someone who comes to town from Richmond to visit Busch Gardens for the day is still spending money in the area as a visitor, but may not be counted because the person is not staying in a hotel for the night. Harris said he has heard visitor numbers for the Historic Triangle per year that range from 3.5 million and 6 million.
The Virginia Tourism Corporation tells destinations not to focus on the number of visitors but on revenue and expenditures instead, Harris said.
In addition to the local tourism expenditures, McDonnell announced the state generated a total of $21.2 billion in tourism revenue last year, and tourism supported 210,000 jobs with employment increasing by 1 percent.
“Tourism plays a key role in our economic development and growth in the Commonwealth, providing valuable jobs for citizens and stimulating businesses of all sizes,” McDonnell said in a release.
In the Historic Triangle, a total of 10,903 workers were employed in the tourism industry last year, with a total tourism payroll of nearly $199 million according to a revenue chart prepared using data from the VTC and the U.S. Travel Association.
About $1.36 billion was generated in local and state taxes across the state; local and state taxes in the Historic Triangle totaled more than $82.8 million.
Overall, tourism revenue has increased 12.3 percent since 2010 in the state.
“Tourism is an instant revenue generator for the Commonwealth. 2012 was a banner year for travel and hospitality in Virginia, and we were pleased to see such continued improvement in our tourism economy,” said Rita McClenny, president and CEO of VTC, in a news release. “Tourism is a driving force of Virginia’s economy — it creates jobs, generates economic impact, and benefits businesses and communities across the state.”
