State Tourism Officials Report Increased Visitor Spending in Forsyth County

"Winston-Salem, N.C. - Friday, August 15, 2014 --The North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development released today its latest domestic tourism spending impact study and according to "The Economic Impact of Travel on North Carolina Counties," visitor spending in Forsyth County generated more than $753 million in 2013, up 5.9 percent over 2012 and ranks Forsyth County's economic impact sixth out of 100 counties in the state. The study also reports that the visitor expenditures in Forsyth County generated more than $57 million in local and state tax revenues in 2013.  These county-by-county travel economic impact statistics are prepared annually by the Research Department of the US Travel Association for the N.C. Department of Commerce's Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development.  "The Division of Tourism's study verifies that Winston-Salem's strategic marketing and sales efforts are effectively connecting with our key audiences especially meeting and convention planners, sports tournament organizers and vacationers resulting in a positive influx of new visitor dollars," said Richard Geiger, president of Visit Winston-Salem. Other overall positive indicators were Forsyth County's annual hotel occupancy in 2013 increased 5.3 percent and average daily hotel rate rose 4.9 percent compared to 2012.

About Visit Winston-Salem (visitwinstonsalem.com) Visit Winston-Salem is the official sales and marketing agency for the Winston-Salem and Forsyth County tourism industry." - A Press Release