NORFOLK, Va. — A new report shows tourist spending in Norfolk reach $1.4 billion since 2022, according to Visit Norfolk.
According to the Virginia Tourism Corporation, tourism in the state generated $33.3 billion in visitor spending putting it at a 10% increase since 2022. Last year, Norfolk spiked at 12,428 jobs in the Hospitality and Tourism industry, which is the highest number to date. Out of those jobs more than 8,000 are supported by outside visitor dollars.
Last year travelers spent $91 million a day in Virginia and directly drove $2.4 billion in state and local tax revenue.
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“We’re happy to see continuous growth year over year in visitor spending, with an abundance of amenities and great attractions making it a top destination,” says President and CEO, Kurt Krause, “but the heart of what makes Norfolk a great destination is the city culture that not only brings visitors in but makes residents enjoy the place they live that much more.”
Norfolk has also seen growth in its attractions. The opening of new businesses and renovations of major attractions have also made an impact on tourism and residents. Some of those attractions include Carnival Cruises, which will not only be bringing a new ship, Sunshine, to the city, but will also expand its itineraries to Bermuda, the Caribbean, and Canada starting next year.
All five categories of visitor spending in the Commonwealth are now fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels and beyond. Those categories include recreation, transportation, lodging, food and beverage, and retail. Transportation was the top category making $614 million in visitor spending.
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All information is based on domestic visitor spending (travelers from within the United States) from per-person trips. Visitors included those who stayed overnight or traveled more than 50 miles to the destination. Detailed economic impact data and methodology are available at vatc.org/research [vatc.org].
