The Virginia Tourism Corp. reports that the state’s tourism revenues topped $23 billion in 2015, a 2.4 percent increase over 2014. In 2015, tourism in Virginia supported 223,100 jobs. The tourism industry also provided more than $1.6 billion in state and local revenue.
The state’s tourism marketing agency largely attributed the increase to Virginia's authentic, local travel experiences, diversity of tourism product and the efforts of the destination marketing organizations and their leadership in their communities.
According to the Virginia Tourism Corp., tourism is an instant generator for the commonwealth. For every dollar invested, tourism returns $5 to the general fund, it said. Tourism also is the fifth-largest private employer in Virginia.
