Waynesboro tourism dollars increase over 40% in 2021
WAYNESBORO — Direct visitor spending from Waynesboro jumped more than 40% over 2020, according to a release.
An economic impact analysis by the Virginia Tourism Corporation said direct visitor spending for the city reached $66.9 million in 2021 — which is 41.6% over 2020 and 10.4% over 2019. The study said the local tourism industry supported 731 jobs, with the state and local tourism-related tax revenue totaled $5.3 million.
In the state as a whole, tourism generated $25.2 billion in visitor spending in 2021, the VTC said. That meant an 87% recovery to pre-pandemic spending in 2019. That spending supported 185,000 jobs, $7.1 billion in salaries and wages and $1.8 billion in state and local taxes, the releases said.
The VTC said that the Shenandoah Valley was one of three regions that significantly contributed to the overall recovery in the commonwealth. Eighty of Virginia's 133 localities have fully recovered to 2019 levels of spending, the release said. The two other regions include coastal Virginia and the Blue Ridge Highlands.
“Tourism has seen an incredible comeback thanks to the hardworking leaders in the travel and tourism industry across Virginia,” Rita McClenny, president and CEO of VTC, said in a release. “As travelers continue to visit communities across the state, Virginia is on pace to restore the tourism industry into the vibrant and highly performing economic engine it always has been. We look forward to an even stronger recovery in 2022.”
Restaurants, hotels, attractions and more were negatively impacted by the pandemic, creating job shortages. Now, visitor spending in Waynesboro has fully recovered and outpaced 2019 levels, the release said, but employment in the hospitality industry has not recovered, lagging 9%.
Economic recovery will be dependent on tourism, the release said, and Waynesboro will leverage its budding tourism industry to support economic recovery and growth locally. “Our beautiful setting, great location and fantastic amenities made Waynesboro and the entire Shenandoah Valley ahaven for travelers from more urban areas in the midst of the pandemic,” Jennifer Kiser, tourism and marketingmanager for the City of Waynesboro, said in a release. “The opening of new dining establishments, shops and recreational opportunities throughout the pandemic shows resilience in our community and positive momentum in our local tourism industry."
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Laura Peters is the trending topics reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Or a good feature? You can reach reporter Laura Peters (she/her) at lpeters@newsleader.com. Follow her @peterslaura. Subscribe to The News Leader at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Visitor spending at pre-pandemic levels for the City of Waynesboro
