Virginia Tourism Industry Soars To New Heights In 2023

Virginia’s tourism industry reached new heights in 2023, with visitors spending a record $33.3 billion, nearly 10% more than in 2022, according to the Virginia Tourism Corporation The industry supported over 224,000 jobs last year, marking an increase of more than 13,000 jobs compared to 2022.

Key highlights from the VTC report include:

Caren Merrick, Virginia’s Secretary of Commerce and Trade, noted that the full recovery and growth in all categories of visitor spending reflect the state’s diverse and dynamic tourism offerings.

Governor Glenn Youngkin praised the record-breaking visitor spending, emphasizing the essential role of travel and tourism in Virginia’s economy. He highlighted that the tourism industry is vital for economic prosperity, job creation, community building, and enhancing the quality of life for Virginians.

The report shows that all five categories of visitor spending—recreation, transportation, lodging, food & beverage, and retail—have fully recovered and exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Recreation saw the fastest growth, up 12% from 2022 and 24% beyond pre-pandemic levels, while transportation spending increased by 11%, surpassing pre-pandemic levels by the same percentage. Lodging spending grew by 9% in 2023, exceeding 2019 levels by 13%. The balanced performance of Virginia’s visitor economy, with strong recovery in business and group demand on weekdays and stable leisure demand during weekends, contributed to this growth.

The VTC’s economic impact data is provided by Tourism Economics and is based on domestic visitor spending from U.S. travelers, including those who stayed overnight or traveled more than 50 miles to reach their destination.