North Carolina sets tourism spending record at $37.2 billion in 2025

RALEIGH, NC (WWAY) — North Carolina set a new tourism spending record in 2025, with visitors spending more than $37.2 billion on trips to and within the state, according to Gov. Josh Stein.

The total surpasses the previous record of $36.7 billion set in 2024 and marks a 1.3% increase in visitor spending, even as western North Carolina continued recovering from impacts tied to Hurricane Helene.

“North Carolina remains a great place to visit from our beautiful shore to our breathtaking mountains,” Stein said in a statement. “Even in the face of challenges from Hurricane Helene recovery last year, we saw record visitor spending.”

The announcement coincides with National Travel and Tourism Week, which runs May 3-9.

According to the governor’s office, domestic travelers spent a record $36.1 billion in North Carolina during 2025, while international travelers spent more than $1.1 billion.

State officials said tourism-supported jobs increased 0.3% to nearly 231,000 positions, while tourism payroll rose 3.5% to $9.8 billion.

Tourism-related spending also generated more than $4.7 billion in federal, state and local taxes, including nearly $1.4 billion in state tax receipts and more than $1.3 billion in local tax revenue.

NC Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley said communities across the state benefit from tourism spending.

“From our smallest towns to our largest cities, tourism means jobs for nearly 50,000 small businesses and our first-in-talent workforce,” Lilley said.

Officials said visitor spending saves North Carolina households an average of $605 annually in state and local taxes.

North Carolina ranks seventh nationally in domestic visitation behind California, Florida, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania and Georgia.

The figures are preliminary findings from research commissioned by Visit North Carolina and conducted by Tourism Economics.