Visitors to Charlottesville and Albemarle County have been wining and dining their way closer to $1 billion in direct visitor spending, according to state tourism figures for 2024.
Virginia Tourism Corporation tracked a record $35.1 billion in visitor spending in the state last year, which represented a 5.4% increase from 2023’s $33.3 billion. For Charlottesville and Albemarle, direct visitor spending reached $989.8 million in 2024, which was almost 3.5% higher than in 2023.
Visitors to Albemarle spent $587.2 million last year, an increase of 6.5%, while Charlottesville brought in $402.6 million, a slight decrease of 0.8%. The driver was food and beverage purchases, which led the five tracked spending categories with $348.8 million in the city and county combined. Lodging followed at $214.8 million.
“Every year, we get a little closer to $1 billion. This is the highest it has ever been,” Courtney Cacatian, executive director of the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau, told The Daily Progress. “We track the occupancy numbers very, very closely. For three years now, the food and beverage spending has been higher than the lodging spending. They’re going to our wineries. They’re going to our restaurants.”
Cacatian also pointed to the impact tourism has on local employment, as tourism-supported jobs totaled 7,172 in the city and county. Albemarle also brought in $27.7 million in local tourism-related taxes, while Charlottesville drew $20.8 million.
“We don’t spend as much time talking about the indirect impact” of tourists’ spending, Cacatian said, adding that laundry services, wedding and event photographers and caterers are among the local businesses that benefit from visitors’ spending. “It helps support small businesses, as long as we’re doing tourism in a responsible way.”
Central Virginia by the numbersHere is a quick look at the latest figures for Central Virginia localities from the Virginia Tourism Corporation: Albemarle County: Lodging, $126.1 million; food and beverage, $179.9 million; retail, $58.4 million; recreation, $97.1 million; transport, $125.7 million; total spending, $587.2 million; percent change from 2023 to 2024, 6.5%. Buckingham County: Lodging, $2.9 million; food and beverage, $1.4 million; retail, $0.3 million; recreation, $0.3 million; transport, $1.6 million; total spending, $6.6 million; percent change from 2023 to 2024, -12.7%. Charlottesville: Lodging, $88.7 million; food and beverage, $168.9 million; retail, $49 million; recreation, $61.5 million; transport, $34.5 million; total spending, $402.6 million; percent change from 2023 to 2024, -0.8%. Fluvanna County: Lodging, $4 million; food and beverage, $2.8 million; retail, $0.5 million; recreation, $1.1 million; transport, $1.9 million; total spending, $10.3 million; percent change from 2023 to 2024, -1.8%. Greene County: Lodging, $8.8 million; food and beverage, $7.8 million; retail, $9.2 million; recreation, $2.3 million; transport, $3.4 million; total spending, $31.4 million; percent change from 2023 to 2024, -0.9%. Louisa County: Lodging, $25.2 million; food and beverage, $12.1 million; retail, $20.6 million; recreation, $4.7 million; transport, $10.3 million; total spending, $73 million; percent change, 0.5%. Madison County: Lodging, $8.4 million; food and beverage, $7.5 million; retail, $1.5 million; recreation, $2.5 million; transport, $5.2 million; total spending, $25 million; percent change, 9.3%. Nelson County: Lodging, $35.2 million; food and beverage, $20.7 million; retail, $9.8 million; recreation, $12.7 million; transport, $11.1 million; total spending, $89.5 million; percent change, -1.5%. Orange County: Lodging, $13.8 million; food and beverage, $17 million; retail, $3.3 million; recreation, $9.1 million; transport, $14.4 million; total spending, $57.7 million; percent change, 6%.
Across Central Virginia, visitors’ food and beverage spending also outpaced lodging spending in Orange County.
From 2023 to 2024, the percentage of change in visitors’ spending from 2023 to 2024 increased by 9.3% in Madison County, 6% in Orange County and 0.5% in Louisa County. That percentage decreased in Buckingham County by 12.7%, in Fluvanna County by 1.8%, in Greene County by 0.9% and in Nelson County by 1.5%.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com