BUSINESS

Virginia tourism brings in $20 billion to state

September 5, 2012 - 12:08 pm
3 Comments
Decrease Increase Text size
Can’t make it across the pond to visit Stonehenge this summer? No worries. Foamhenge is located in Natural Bridge, VA and yes, it’s made entirely of foam.10 Photos
(Photo: “Foamhenge” © by sduck409, via Creative Commons/WJLA)

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Tourism revenue in Virginia topped more than $20 billion in 2011, an 8 percent increase over the previous year.

Gov. Bob McDonnell said the tourism numbers released Wednesday underscore the importance of investing in tourism.

Besides the revenues, he said tourism provides 207,000 jobs across the state. According to the governor's office, tourism employment increased nearly 2 percent last year and generated $1.32 billion in state and local taxes.

The annual economic data is from the U.S. Travel Association. The figures are based on domestic visitor spending on trips taken 50 miles or more from home.

Would you like to contribute to this story? Join the discussion.

Short URL: http://wj.la/OXzj9d
Recommended For You

3 Comments

Post a Comment

By posting comments to content found on WJLA, you agree to the terms of service.