Direct visitor spending dwarfed prepandemic levels in 2024, increasing by 4.6% over 2023 and supporting a record 7,418 jobs, according to the region’s tourism bureau.

Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge released the tourism spending findings Tuesday, citing $923.1 million in direct visitor spending in 2024, which was nearly 25% more than in 2019. That spending generated $44.6 million in local tax revenue, according to VVBR.

The data comes from the Virginia Tourism Corp. via annual economic impact data compiled by Tourism Economics. It counts visitors who stayed overnight or traveled more than 50 miles to the studied destination.

Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge says the economic impact of tourism goes beyond direct visitor spending on lodging and meals, citing a figure of $1.42 billion in direct and

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