May 8. Tourists spent more than $36.7 billion on trips to and within North Carolina in 2024. The previous record of $35.6 billion was set in 2023.

As National Travel and Tourism Week (May 4-10) comes to an end, Gov. Josh Stein said the state’s tourism-supported workforce increased 1.4 percent to 230,338 jobs in 2024.  Tourism payroll increased 2.6 percent to $9.5 billion. As a result of visitor spending, state and local governments saw rebounds in tax revenues to nearly $2.7 billion.

With nearly 40 million visitors from across the United States, North Carolina ranks No. 5 behind California, Florida, Texas, and New York in domestic visitation. The past four years have seen tight competition with Pennsylvania and Tennessee for fifth place. In addition to 2024’s record spending by domestic travelers, North Carolina also saw gains in the international market. With more than 900,000 international travelers, spending rose 16.5 percent to nearly $1.2 billion.