VisitGreenvilleSC Announces Nearly $1 Billion in Ad-Influenced Travel Spending

Greenville, South Carolina – VisitGreenvilleSC, the leading travel and tourism organization, recently presented an annual report detailing nearly $1 billion in ad-influenced travel spending for the past fiscal year. The report highlighted the importance of the tourism industry in supporting Greenville’s growing economy.

Impact of Ad-Influenced Travel Spending

In fiscal year 2024, ad-influenced travel spending contributed approximately $939 million to the local economy, a notable 15% increase since the previous year. Travelers spent this amount on hotel rooms, dining, and other tourism-related services, thereby positively impacting Greenville’s economy. This surge in travel spending also led to an increase of $45.4 million in visitor tax revenue. This revenue comprises $30.2 million in hospitality tax revenue and $15.2 million in accommodations tax revenue.

Growth in Leisure and Hospitality Industry Jobs

This economic influx is not only boosting Greenville’s financial metrics but also having substantial impacts on job creation and wage growth. Currently, approximately 56,000 individuals are employed in Greenville’s leisure and hospitality industry, equivalent to one in nine jobs in the industry. Alarmingly, there has been a 39% wage growth in the industry since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rise in Hotel Revenue

Hotel revenue in Greenville County saw a healthy 5.4% increase year-over-year, outpacing other popular tourist destinations such as Charleston, Columbia, Savannah, and Asheville. CEO of VisitGreenvilleSC, Heath Dillard, reported, “The city’s hotels represent about two-thirds of all hotel spending in the market and city hotels were up 6.8%. Downtown hotels were up 11.4%.”

Future Predictions and Bookings

VisitGreenvilleSC also reported future predictions concerning hotel room bookings. There were 95,064 hotel room nights booked in FY24, marking a 33% increase year-over-year. The organization also projected that over the next four years, a staggering 121,568 hotel room nights will be booked. An additional 60,000 hotel room nights were booked for the upcoming U.S. Bowling Congress championship, set to occur in 2028.

This comprehensive report and the encouraging statistics underpin the importance of the tourism industry in Greenville’s economic prosperity. The rise in ad-influenced travel spending, growth in job creation, and increase in hotel revenue all point to the substantial benefits the region reaps from strong tourism infrastructure and marketing efforts.