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 area glimpse of the positive economic impact of tourism in Virginia.
In 2007 Virginia Tourism:
- Generated $18.7 billion in visitor spending
- Supported 210,000 jobs
- Provided $1.2 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.
* 2007 statewide economic impact figures compiled by theTravel Industry Association of America for the Virginia Tourism Corporation.
