The economic impact of tourism in Patrick County increased 4.2 percent between 2014 and 2015, according to information provided by the state.
Locally, domestic traveling expenditures totaled $26.5 million in calendar year 2015; $5.8 million in wages, salaries and tips to employees in the hospitality industry and $771,000 in local tax revenue generated by tourism, state data showed.
That growth is a trend across the Commonwealth, according to a recent release from Gov. Terry McAuliffe, which noted Virginia’s tourism revenue has grown by $2.2 billion since 2014, with a compound annual growth rate of 3.3 percent.
“Virginia’s tourism industry is a critical component of the new Virginia economy, providing jobs for our citizens and funneling millions of dollars back into our communities,” McAuliffe said.
Current visitor spending in Virginia supports 230,000 jobs with 16,000 of those added during McAuliffe’s tenure, representing a 7.6 percent increase. Virginia’s tourism industry also provides $1.7 billion in state and local taxes, with a compound annual growth rate of 5.6 percent.
Virginia welcomed more than 45 million visitors from across the United States last year, a record high for domestic travel to the Commonwealth.
Sandra Puckett Belcher, director of the Patrick County Tourism Department, said the increase in local growth is due to the diverse offerings and those who call Patrick County home.
“This is a county that’s blessed with championship dirt bike trails, state parks, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and massive amounts of multi talented musicians,” Belcher said.
Additionally, visitors are attracted by festivals, whether bluegrass, peach, beach or any of the other successful ventures that have gained a following, she said.
“We also have folk fairs. Our history is amazing,” Belcher said, and added she is working on a history trail project. Additional details about that project are in the offing, she said.
The county also boasts rock churches and other buildings of note, including Primland, a five star resort, Belcher said.
“There’s just so much here to offer, and there’s such a variety,” she said. “There’s a massive amount of everything and on top of everything else, we have such good hearted people. When people come in, they are treated very well.”
Belcher said she attended the Front Porch Fest, and in talking to some of the musicians, found they “were amazed at how well they were treated. Our residents have hearts of gold,” Belcher said. “This is a wonderful place to live, so it is no wonder tourism is going up.”
Locally, Patrick County allocates 4 percent of the 5 percent lodging tax levied, with proceeds earmarked for promoting tourism.
Directly invested into tourism through the Tourism Department and the Tourism Advisory Council, the funds are used to attract visitors to the county — bringing new dollars into the county, increasing the county’s tax base, and generating revenue.
Lodging taxes are meant to be used for marketing. According to a 2010 informational paper produced by the International Society of Hotel Association Executives (ISHAE) Lodging Tax Task Force, “The concept of imposing a lodging tax on the overnight guests staying at a lodging property was to have the traveler pay part of the cost of attracting them to the area to stay overnight, and for funding services uniquely for travelers.”
The lodging tax is the primer for other taxes. Investing the lodging tax in tourism promotion results in greater visitor spending; the increased visitor spending creates more state and local sales tax, produces jobs from which income tax is paid, and prompts development of hotels that pay property tax.
Marketing and tourism promotion is not an expense, but rather an investment, according to data collected by the Virginia Tourism Corporation, which shows that every $1 invested generates $7 in tax revenue for Virginia.
Tourism also is tied to economic development. It is Virginia’s 5th largest private sector employer and a $24 billion a year industry for the Commonwealth, generating $1.7 billion in state and local taxes.
