The map shows the breakdown of COVID-19 cases in Rutherford County:

Visit: www.facebook.com/rcemergencymanagement
 

• Section Purple is Rutherfordton, Lake Lure, Chimney Rock, Gilkey, Union Mills, Ruth, & part of Spindale.
   
• Section Green is Green Hill/Rutherfordton.
   
• Section Orange is Ellenboro, Duncan Creek, Golden Valley, Bostic, Sunshine, Forest City.
   
• Section Pink is Spindale/Forest City, Bostic.
   
• Section Tan is Alexander Mills, Forest City, Sulphur Springs, Harris, Shiloh, Danieltown, Henrietta, Cliffside, Caroleen, Mooresboro.

*Note: People travel throughout our County. Best practice is stay at home.

Read the 2022 Economic Impact Studies provided by VisitNC and learn about the impact of visitor spending in our area by visiting https://partners.visitnc.com/economic-impact-studies.

The Rutherford TDA has also provided the following information:

 2022 Visitor Impact for Rutherford County

County Spending Increases by 3.5% to 282.42 million

Rutherfordton, N.C. — Domestic and international visitors to and within Rutherford County spent $282.42 million in 2022, an increase of 3.5% from 2021. The data comes from an annual study commissioned by Visit North Carolina, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.

Rutherford County continues to grow and enhance the visitor experience. The TDA and community are excited about the tourism growth and collaborative support of the community. Rutherford County and the great state of North Carolina provide awesome product for tourism.

Tourism impact highlights for 2022:

• The travel and tourism industry directly employs more than 1,635 in Rutherford County.
• Total payroll generated by the tourism industry in Rutherford County was $68.1 million.
• State tax revenue generated in Rutherford County totaled $11.8 million through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income. About $9.3 million in local taxes were generated from sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses.

These statistics come from the “Economic Impact of Travel on North Carolina Counties 2022,” which can be accessed at partners.visitnc.com/economic-impact-studies. The study was prepared for Visit North Carolina by Tourism Economics in collaboration with the U.S. Travel Association.

Statewide, visitor spending in 2022 rose 15.2 percent to reach a record $33.3 billion. Direct tourism employment increased 9.8 percent to 216,900.

“North Carolina’s tourism industry draws its success from the authentic culture and experiences that flourish across a spectrum of settings,” said Wit Tuttell, Visit NC’s executive director. “The new report from Tourism Economics shows growth beyond our celebrated mountains and beaches to our urban centers and surrounding suburban and rural counties. Tourism’s strength across the state underscores the industry’s role as an anchor of economic development. The money visitors spend benefits everyone by sustaining jobs and reducing the tax burden for every resident.”

Highlights from the statewide report include:

Total spending by domestic and international visitors in North Carolina reached $33.3 billion in 2022.That sum represents a 15.2 percent increase over 2021 expenditures. The figure falls 14 percent above the record $29.22 billion spent in 2019.

• Domestic travelers spent a record $32.4 billion in 2022. Spending was up 13.4 percent from $28.6 billion in 2021.
• International travelers spent $910 million in 2022, up 170 percent from the previous year.
• Visitors to North Carolina generated $4.2 billion in federal, state and local taxes in 2022. The total represents a 7.9 percent increase from 2020.
• State tax receipts from visitor spending rose 6.5 percent to nearly $1.3 billion in 2022.
• Local tax receipts grew 3.5 percent to nearly $1.2 billion.
• Direct tourism employment in North Carolina increased 9.8 percent to 216,900.
• Direct tourism payroll increased 13.5 percent to $8.7 billion.
• Visitors spend more than $91 million per day in North Carolina. That spending adds $6.7 million per day to state and local tax revenues (about $3.5 million in state taxes and $3.2 million in local taxes).
•  Each North Carolina household saved $512 on average in state and local taxes as a direct result of visitor spending in the state. Savings per capita averaged $230.