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Watauga County Travel and Tourism Facts

$ Impact	Domestic tourism generated an economic impact of $120.67 million in Watauga County in 1997. This is a 1.7 % increase over 1996 it compares with a 2.9% increase for North Carolina. Watauga is 17^hin travel impact among North Carolina's 100 counties.
Jobs	2,430 jobs in Watauga County are directly attributable to travel and tourism. Travel generated a $31.09 million payroll in Watauga County in 1997.
Taxes	State and local tax revenues from travel to Watauga County amounted to $9.88 million in 1997. This represents a $248 tax savings to each county resident
Attractions	Over 20 million people traveled the Blue Ridge Parkway in 1997. Other area attractions include "Horn in the West" and Hickory Ridge Homestead, Mast General Store, Mystery Hill, museums devoted to Appalachian culture and heritage, Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, Blowing Rock, the Tweetsie Railroad and Appalachian Ski Mountain.
Visitors	A 1994 survey found historic sites, beaches, scenic areas, museums, golf and fishing most popular among visitors to North Carolina. Average age is 41 years; 45% had household incomes $50,000 or more; 48%are college graduates, 21%graduate or professional school educated.
Origins	Top states of origin for North Carolina domestic visitors are Virginia, Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, South Carolina, Ohio, and Georgia. International Visitors come mainly from Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and France.
Hotels	Some 38% of visitors stay in hotels and motels. Hotel occupancy for the Advantage West economic development region varies seasonally. During 1997 it ranged from 22.70% to 62.91%; this compares with occupancy ranging from 31.42% to 64.59% for 1995. Average daily rates for this region in 1997 ranged from $31.42 to $85.02 and tend to be higher than the state average.