SURF CITY, NC — Visitors to Pender County spent a total of $203.08 million in 2025, an increase of .4 percent from 2024.

The data, released on Aug. 11, is from an annual study commissioned by Visit North Carolina, part of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.

“The travel and tourism industry makes a positive financial impact in Pender County,” said Susan Griffin, Chair of the Pender County TDA. “Tourism brings in revenue for our lodging, restaurants, recreation, retail and returns sales tax into the county.”

The tourism impact highlights for 2025:

• The travel and tourism industry directly employees more than 1,051 in Pender County.
• Total payroll generated by the tourism industry in Pender County was $44.11 million.
• State tax revenue generated in Pender County totaled $6.64 million. An estimated $9.48 million in local taxes were generated from occupancy, sales, and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses.
• Each Pender County resident saved $230.46 on average in state and local taxes as a direct result of visitor spending in the county.

In 2024, Pender County’s tourism industry generated $202.25 million in visitor spending in 2024

These statics come from “The Economic Impact of Travel on North Carolina Counties 2025,” which can be accessed at VisitNC.com/economic-impact. The study was prepared for Visit North Carolina by Tourism Economics.

“As much as we’d love to see growth in each of our 100 counties, the study confirms the vitality of North Carolina’s tourism industry,” said Wit Tuttell, executive director of VisitNC.