Visitors Spent a Record $1.17 Billion in Durham County in 2025
[DURHAM, N.C.] August 19, 2026 — Domestic and international visitors to Durham County spent $1.17 billion in 2025, up from $1.16 billion in 2024. Visitors also contributed more than $82 million in state and local tax revenue that same year. This data comes from an annual study commissioned by Visit NC, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. Longwoods International’s Travel USA study also found that Durham County welcomed a record 13.4 million visitors in 2025.
“These numbers tell a story we should all be proud of,” said Cara Rousseau, president and CEO of Discover Durham. “That $1.17 billion in visitor spending represents the wages that support our neighbors, the revenue that keeps Durham’s businesses local and the tax dollars that support services that improve residents’ quality of life.”
Durham County tourism impact highlights for 2025:
- Domestic and international visitors to Durham County spent $1.17 billion in 2025, a 0.9% increase from 2024.
- The travel and tourism industry directly supported more than 7,700 jobs in Durham County.
- Total payroll generated by the tourism industry in Durham County was $319 million.
- State and local tax revenue generated by visitors to Durham County totaled $82.3 million, which includes revenue from occupancy, sales and excise taxes, plus property, personal and corporate tax income associated with travel-generated and travel-supported businesses.
“At the same time, the data shows that the year-over-year growth we’ve consistently seen for visitor spending in Durham is softening,” said Rousseau. “That’s not cause for alarm, but it is a signal. The destinations that keep winning resources, talent and opportunities are the ones that treat tourism as an ongoing investment, not a story that tells itself, and that’s exactly the kind of work we’re leading through Durham’s Destination Master Plan.”
Discover Durham, the community’s globally accredited destination marketing organization, reinvests a portion of the occupancy taxes paid by visitors to drive economic impact in Durham by promoting Durham to attract and serve more visitors. Discover Durham operates the Durham Sports Commission, a sports tourism nonprofit creating economic and social impact by recruiting and supporting local sporting events at all levels, and Durham Next, an economic development nonprofit focused on community-aligned tourism investment.
Durham Next works with public, private and nonprofit partners to evaluate opportunities, invest in priority projects and advance initiatives outlined in Durham’s Destination Master Plan to strengthen the local visitor economy and grow its impact. In the last year, Durham Next launched its Community Investment Program, committing $535,000 of visitor-paid tax revenue to grow local festivals such as the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and the Liberty Arts Iron Pour, and support events and experiences that attract visitor dollars to Durham.
“From sports to arts and entertainment, the billion-dollar impact that visitors create in Durham is driven by the bold and vibrant experiences Durham has to offer,” said Tara Kenchen, executive director of Durham Next. “Durham Next is seizing this moment by building public-private partnerships and intentionally investing in the infrastructure and programming that keep Durham a competitive visitor destination and an outstanding place to live and work for decades to come.”
These statistics come from the 2025 “Impact of Visitor Spending,” available at https:
According to Visit NC Executive Director Wit Tuttell, North Carolina’s destination appeal is rooted in its culture, natural scenic beauty and the creativity coming from its communities. “Those strengths can withstand a hurricane (Helene) and the economic uncertainties we’ve experienced since the pandemic,” he said.
Statewide tourism impact highlights for 2025:
- Total spending by domestic and international visitors in North Carolina reached $37.2 billion in 2025. That sum represents a 1.3% increase over 2024 expenditures.
- Visitors spend more than $101 million per day in North Carolina. That spending adds $7.5 million per day to state and local tax revenues (about $3.8 million in state taxes and $3.7 million in local taxes).
- Each North Carolina household saved $605 on average in state and local taxes as a direct result of visitor spending in the state. Savings per capita averaged $244.
- Visitors to North Carolina generated more than $4.7 billion in federal, state and local taxes in 2025. The total represents a 2.5% increase from 2024.