Tourism plays an integral role in Greenville’s growing economy.
To track this growth, VisitGreenvilleSC creates an annual report detailing the tourism industry’s economic impact and performance metrics in Greenville County. Heath Dillard, CEO of VisitGreenvilleSC, presented estimates for fiscal year 2024 to Greenville City Council during a work session on Aug. 26.
In FY24, visitors spent $939 million on advertising-influenced travel spending on hotel rooms, dining and more in Greenville. It is a 15% increase year-over-year.
VisitGreenvilleSC reported that $45.4 million was generated in visitor tax revenue. This total includes $30.2 million in hospitality tax revenue and $15.2 million in accommodations tax revenue.
Approximately 56,000 people are currently employed in Greenville’s leisure and hospitality industry. This represents one in nine jobs in the industry. Dillard said they have also seen a 39% wage growth in the industry since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hotel revenue in Greenville County also had a 5.4% increase year-over-year, exceeding Charleston, Columbia, Savannah and Asheville.
“The city’s hotels represent about two-thirds of all hotel spending in the market and city hotels were up 6.8%. Downtown hotels were up 11.4%,” Dillard said.
VisitGreenvilleSC also reported that:
- 95,064 hotel room nights were booked in FY24, up 33% year-over-year
- 121,568 hotel room nights booked over the next four years
- An additional 60,000 hotel room nights were booked in FY24 for the U.S. Bowling Congress championship in 2028
