Tourism $$ in Virginia
Tourism is one of Virginia's most powerful industries - bringing in billions of dollars in tax revenue and supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs for Virginians. The facts and stats below are a glimpse of the positive economic impact of tourism in Virginia.
In 2008 Virginia Tourism:
- Generated $19.2 billion in visitor spending
- Supported 210,620 jobs
- Provided $1.28 billion in state and local taxes for Virginia’s communities
- Resulted in $4.3 billion in payroll and salaries*
What tourism tax revenue means to Virginia
State tax revenues generated by tourism in Virginia are enough to pay for:
- Salaries and benefits of more than 11,500 new state police officers, or
- Education of over 78,000 Virginia students
Local tax revenues generated by tourism are enough to pay for
- The salary of 12,000 elementary and secondary school teachers, or
- The successful placement of over 1.3 million cats and dogs by local animal shelters.
Every $1 Virginia invests in tourism marketing generates $5 in tax revenue for the Commonwealth. That's a 5:1 return on investment.
Additional information on the economic impact of tourism in Virginia, including information for localities, is available at http://www.vatc.org/research/economicimpact.asp.
* 2008 statewide economic impact figures compiled by theTravel Industry Association of America for the Virginia Tourism Corporation.
