Even though Salem’s top tourism driver, The Moyer Sports Complex, was closed for renovations, visitor spending for Salem in 2023 still reached $118 million which is a 5.2 percent change over 2022. In addition, tourism supported jobs in Salem totaled 1115, while local tourism-related taxes were $5.7 million.
The figures are provided by the Virginia Tourism Corporation and the VTC says overall visitor spending in the commonwealth generated a record high $33.3 billion in 2023. That is an increase of nearly 10 percent from the previous year and this number also exceeds pre-pandemic levels by nearly 15 percent.
“We are pleased with the growth and certainly excited to see all of Virginia’s Blue Ridge attracting more visitors each year,” said Salem Mayor Renee Turk. “Having the Stagg Bowl in 2023 certainly complemented our other NCAA events and gave Salem and the valley a nice boost.”
The tourism industry in Virginia directly supported over 224,000 jobs in 2023, an increase of over 13,000 jobs relative to 2022. Direct travel employment is now at 93 percent of pre-pandemic employment levels. Industries like tourism, retail, and entertainment accounted for more than 5 percent of all jobs in Virginia last year.
Travelers spent $91 million a day in Virginia in 2023, up from $83 million in 2022. Virginia visitors directly drove $2.4 billion in state and local tax revenue, an increase of 9% from $2.2 billion in 2022. Overnight visitation to Virginia increased by 1.4 million to 43.6 million visitors in 2023, up from 42.2 million in 2022, essentially reaching full recovery to pre-pandemic levels.
“We still have to constantly be aware of how the economy affects travel and spending for families, but we are thrilled to see this consistent uptick.” said Carey Harveycutter, Salem Tourism Director. “It has taken a while, but for the most part we can see this recovery in everything from the Salem Fair to the Salem Red Sox.”
All five categories of visitor spending in the Commonwealth have now fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels and beyond. Those categories include recreation, transportation, lodging, food & beverage, and retail. Recreation was the fastest growing category in 2023, up 12 percent over 2022 and 24 percent beyond pre-pandemic levels, more than any other category, as travelers continue to show a strong preference for experiences.
Throughout 2023, Virginia’s visitor economy benefited from balanced hotel performance as business and group demand recovered strongly on weekdays against a backdrop of stable leisure demand during weekends.
VTC receives its annual economic impact data from Tourism Economics. The information is based on domestic visitor spending (travelers from within the United States) from per-person trips. Visitors included those who stayed overnight or traveled more than 50 miles to the destination. Detailed economic impact data and methodology are available at www.vatc.org/research
-The Salem Times-Register
