Chapel Hill, NC – (May 4, 2018) – National Travel & Tourism Week is a yearly celebration that is designed to raise awareness about the economic value of travel and to promote the impact travelers have on areas like Orange County, NC. The theme of this year’s NTTW, “Travel Then and Now,” highlights the travel industry’s history of economic impact in every corner of America including Orange County.
Domestic visitor spending on tourism in Orange County, NC is a $192.63 million business according to 2016 Economic Impact of Travel on North Carolina Counties study by the U.S. Travel Association. Some 1,890 jobs in Orange County were directly attributable to travel and tourism and travel generated a $37.41 million payroll in Orange County. Tax revenues from travel to Orange County amounted to a total of $14.64 million ($10.48 million from the state and $4.16 million in local taxes). This represents an approximate $103.32 tax savings to each county resident.
"Many aspects of the U.S. travel experience may have changed over the years, but one thing hasn’t: our industry’s enduring ethos of welcoming travelers from near and far,” said Laurie Paolicelli, Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau Executive Director. "Each year, Orange County, NC hosts millions of visitors and the impact of the tourism industry in Chapel Hill and our neighboring communities is wide spread – creating jobs, funding town and county services and supporting our quality of life."
Throughout NTTW, May 6-12, 2018, celebrate #nttw18 by sharing your favorite places you've visited in Chapel Hill and Orange County throughout the years on social media. Follow the Visitors Bureau at @visitchapelhill and #visitchapelhill. Also drop by the Visitors Center at 501 West Franklin Street, Monday - Saturday during National Travel & Tourism Week for new destination postcards highlighting Chapel Hill, UNC-Chapel Hill, Hillsborough and Carrboro to send to your friends and family.
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