North Carolina remains a top tourist destination

According to research from the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, the state ranked 5th in domestic tourism with nearly 40 million visitors in 2024.

Travelers to the state spent nearly $37 billion last year, surpassing the previous record set in 2023.

Stephanie Pace Brown is president of Visit Winston-Salem. She says locally, tourism is on the rise.

“Almost 7,000,000 people a year visit Forsyth County and that's customers for local businesses. Those visitors spend more than $1 billion. That's money in cash registers that helps promote the vibrancy that we enjoy as residents of this community.”

In a press release announcing the state figures, Governor Josh Stein lauded efforts in the Coastal and Piedmont regions. He also emphasized the importance of supporting tourism in western North Carolina, which is still recovering from Helene.