Is it all about Concord Mills? Charlotte Motor Speedway? Or what about hidden gems like the Reed Gold Mine? Whatever it is, whether one thing or a combination, visitors are coming to Cabarrus County in record numbers.
Recent released numbers show that visitors to and within Cabarrus County spent a record $400.3 million in 2014. Cabarrus County saw the second highest percent increase in visitor spending, trailing only Orange County, NC.
“Cabarrus County actually saw a huge jump in visitor spending in 2014, an increase of 7.6% from last year,” said Julie Hinson of the Cabarrus County Convention and Visitors Bureau “Visitors from outside of our area came to Cabarrus and impacted our local economy with that money that they spent here.”
What’s responsible for the big jump?
“We thought about the same question and what it comes down to is we just have a really great dynamic tourism product here in Cabarrus County,” HInson added. “We’re very accessible from Interstate 85, we’re close to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, we’ve got Concord Regional right down the street. We have a lot of hidden gems in Cabarrus County including Reed Gold Mine, a very unique experience that’s unique to North Carolina.”
One new draw during 2014 was the Sea Life Aquarium inside Concord Mills. The Great Wolf Lodge, North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in Kannapolis, and visits to race teams shops also draw large numbers of visitors.
In terms of sheer numbers, Charlotte Motor Speedway and its adjacent attractions are the big draws.
“The NASCAR events the speedway has been hosting for more than fifty years are obviously big contributors to the tourism in Cabarrus County and really the entire Charlotte region,” said Scott Cooper, Vice President of Communications at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “With the expansion of the complex with the Dirt Track and zMAX Dragway and the events that we host now year round, even including Speedway Christmas, we’ve got more than 100 or so days and nights of events every year on our calendar.”
Travel and tourism is a big part of Cabarrus County in many ways. The industry is responsible for 4190 jobs, according to the CCCVB. The payroll generated by the tourism industry in Cabarrus County in 2014 was $87.06 million.
In terms of local taxes, state revenues totaled $22.03 million and local tax revenues generated $6.92 million.
You can visit www.CabCoCVB.com to learn more about the CVB and how tourism positively impacts the community. It’s a resource for locals to discover more about the organization and tourism industry.
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