GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — Guilford County saw a 52% increase in visitor spending in 2021, compared to 2019, according to a new study from Visit North Carolina.
The study found visitors spent about $1.2 billion in Guilford County in 2021. All 100 North Carolina counties saw an annual visitor spending increase. The overall state increase on visitor spending was 45%.
Guilford County visitors spent $420 million on food and beverage, $361 million on transportation, $244 million on lodging, $159 million on recreation, and $108 million on retail.
"A lot of it has to do with the way that we are traveling and the way that we are enjoying leisure amenities," said Melody Burnett, the president of Visit High Point. "So we as consumers we’re thinking about balanced lives, we are thinking about more travel, spending more time with family and that means really catering to our leisure visitor."
The lifting of pandemic restrictions was a big factor in the spending increase.
"Of course when the pandemic hit, hospitality and tourism took a huge hit. We just were not able to enjoy like we had before. Now that we have the confidence to travel and go to more events, now that we have the vaccine and there is that flexibility, that now we can get back to business the way we're accustomed to," Burnett said.
Guilford County tourism officials also say youth sports played a role.
"We’ve had an incredible number of soccer competitions, swimming and diving events, track meets and youth basketball, even though it’s played indoors, they’ve spread out and people wanted to come and travel and compete," Henry Fourrier, the president and CEO of the Greensboro Convention and Visitor's Bureau.
Tourism officials say spending still isn't back to pre-pandemic levels when there was about $1.6 billion in visitor spending -- but we're getting there.
"I'd say that we are, for the most part, back to normal, even though I think the way that we do business today is different. It's a shame to see as many restaurants close that have closed here in our community but labor continues to be a struggle," Fourrier said.
The study noted there was a 16% increase in tourism employees in 2021.
“Locally, our Guilford County Hotel Association is working with our Guilford County Technical Educators, GTCC, and local universities to create stronger pathways to talent. On a state level, hospitality leaders have been working closely with the North Carolina Restaurant Lodging Association to communicate the needs in the workforce to address it collectively,” said Burnett in a news release. “If demand is rising and we have a workforce shortage in our hospitality businesses, we are at risk of not delivering on our overall brand."
Proximity Hotel in Greensboro said things have definitely changed over the past few years. Staff have noticed many people from the region coming to stay for a "staycation."
"It's just different," said Tony Villier, managing director of hotel and event sales at Proximity Hotel. "There are definitely areas where we've grown. We've seen a lot more leisure travel and a lot more focus on that for people that are, again, just sort of looking to get out."