North Carolina
NC tourism going gangbusters, with state among top US destinations | Robesonian
RALEIGH — The North Carolina tourism economy reached its highest level ever in 2023, Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday, with travelers spending more than $35.6 billion on trips to and within the state.
That’s up almost 7% from the previous record in 2022, according to the governor’s office. The state also rose to fifth in the nation for domestic visitation, behind California, Florida, Texas and New York.
Direct tourism employment in the state increased almost 5% to 227,200 jobs in 2023, and direct tourism payroll increased to $9.3 billion, the governor’s office said.
The preliminary findings come from research commissioned by Visit North Carolina, part of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. But tourism organizations in three regions of the state that talked with Carolina Public Press for this article also described successful efforts to draw in more tourists in each part of the state.
Inflation is part of what made 2023 a record year, as spending in general has increased, said Wit Tuttell, executive director of Visit North Carolina. But the agency also was able to target off-season advertising, such as marketing ski areas, with money from the legislature, he said.
“North Carolina is still a very seasonal tourism destination and so the more we can spread that out, that brings those dollars to areas in times where they need it more,” he said.
International traveler spending in the state also rose almost 10% from the previous year, to $997 million in 2023, the governor’s office said.
North Carolina isn’t as popular for international visitors as other areas of the U.S., Tuttell said. But those tend to be valuable visitors, as they often stay longer and spend more, he said.
The state works with other states in the South to jointly advertise, he said, because typical international visitors travel throughout the region.
It’s also better for Southern states not to go after a first-time international visitor, who will likely want to see California or New York, he said. Instead, the region targets veteran travelers who want the Southern experience, he said.
Visit North Carolina also tries to prevent over-tourism by making sure visitors enhance an area instead of detracting from it, Tuttell said. Part of that involves targeting whom the state markets itself to, he said, such as the Outdoor NC program, which emphasizes protecting resources and sustainability.
Ahead of Memorial Day weekend, tourism organizations across the state are preparing for visitors. Those in Raleigh, Wilmington and Western N.C. talked to CPP about the weekend ahead and tourism in their areas.
Raleigh gateway for NC tourists
Raleigh and the Wake County area have strong leisure visitation even apart from holidays, said Dennis Edwards, president and CEO of Visit Raleigh. That will continue this weekend with events such as the NCAA women’s lacrosse championship and the Japanese animation and cultural convention Animazement, he said.
The area is accustomed to large events, he said, and the agency alerts hotels and restaurants beforehand of when peak times might be.
In terms of attracting international versus domestic visitors, Edwards said the agency promotes the entire state to international visitors, with Raleigh acting as a gateway.
For domestic visitors, the focus is on the local area, he said.
Wilmington tourism
The Wilmington area is ready for the expected crowds of Memorial Day weekend, said Kim Hufham, president and CEO of the New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority.
Lifeguards start working daily and local businesses usually increase seasonal staff, according to Connie Nelson, communications and public relations director for the Wilmington and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau, which is the business name of the New Hanover tourism authority.
Each of the past couple years have been record-breaking in tourism expenditures and room occupancy tax collections in the county, Hufham said. The growth is just now leveling off after jumping post-pandemic lockdown, she said.
Most of the area’s visitors come from within North Carolina, Hufham said, but they also see large numbers from Northeastern states such as Pennsylvania and New York.
NC mountain tourism
In Asheville, restaurant reservations have begun to fill up, recent dance performances sold out and more tubers are going down the French Broad River, said Dodie Stephens, vice president of marketing at Explore Asheville.
Most Asheville visitors come from areas within a day’s drive, Stephens said, so the agency markets primarily to those people. Travelers who fly in tend to stay longer and move around the community more, she said, so the agency works with Asheville Airport to encourage those visitors.
Flights from Florida into Asheville are increasing, said Craig Distl, a public relations representative for Visit Hendersonville. The agency targets those visitors year-round as the N.C. mountains are some of the closest to Floridians, he said.
Memorial Day weekend means crowds of around 200,000 for Hendersonville, Distl said, as the town holds the Garden Jubilee festival downtown.
North Carolina
NC Foundation at center of I-Team Troubleshooter investigation could face contempt charge
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — New details in an I-Team investigation into a Durham foundation accused of not paying its employees.
The North Carolina Department of Labor filed a motion in court to try to force the Courtney Jordan Foundation, CJF America, to provide the pay records after the state agency received more than 30 complaints from former employees about not getting paid.
The ABC11 I-Team first told you about CJF and its problems paying employees in July. The foundation ran summer camps in Durham and Raleigh, and at the time, more than a dozen workers said they didn’t get paid, or they got paychecks that bounced. ABC11 also talked to The Chicken Hut, which didn’t get paid for providing meals to CJF Durham’s summer camps, but after Troubleshooter Diane Wilson’s involvement, The Chicken Hut did get paid.
The NC DOL launched their investigation, and according to this motion filed with the courts, since June thirty one former employees of CJF filed complaints with the agency involving pay issues. Court documents state that, despite repeated attempts from the wage and hour bureau requesting pay-related documents from CJF, and specifically Kristen Picot, the registered agent of CJF, CJF failed to comply.
According to this motion, in October, an investigator with NC DOL was contacted by Picot, and she requested that the Wage and Hour Bureau provide a letter stating that CJF was cooperating with the investigation and that repayment efforts were underway by CJF. Despite several extensions, the motion says Picot repeatedly exhibited a pattern of failing to comply with the Department of Labor’s investigation. The motion even references an ITEAM story on CJFand criminal charges filed against its executives.
The NC DOL has requested that if CJF and Picot fail to produce the requested documentation related to the agency’s investigation, the employer be held in civil contempt for failure to comply. Wilson asked the NC Department of Labor for further comment, and they said, “The motion to compel speaks for itself. As this is an ongoing investigation, we are unable to comment further at this time.”
ABC11 Troubleshooter reached out to Picot and CJF America, but no one has responded. At Picot’s last court appearance on criminal charges she faces for worthless checks, she had no comment then.
Out of all the CJF employees we heard from, only one says he has received partial payment.
Copyright © 2026 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Kate Barr is a Democrat.
But when voters in North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District open their ballots in the March primary they’ll find an “R” next to her name.
She is literally a RINO or Republican In Name Only.
Barr considers herself a Democrat but said she’s running as a Republican to make a point about gerrymandering.
“Fundamentally… I hate gerrymandering. That is pretty much my core motivation for everything I do in politics,” Barr told Spectrum News 1.
The district, west of Charlotte, is solidly Republican.
The current congressman won by 16 points last election.
Barr said it speaks to just how gerrymandered North Carolina is. State Republican lawmakers recently approved a congressional map that favors Republicans in 11 of the state’s 14 congressional districts.
That’s in a state that only voted for President Donald Trump by three points in 2024 and elected a Democrat for governor.
“When the North Carolina state legislature passed the new congressional maps that further gerrymandered this state it became clear there has to be a political price for this behavior,” Barr said.
This is not the first unusual campaign for Barr.
In 2024 she ran as a Democrat in a district that heavily favored Republicans. The focus again was to draw attention to gerrymandering.
Her motto was “Kate Barr can’t win.”
She did not win, losing by 30 points.
But Barr was encouraged by some of the results she saw and in November launched her campaign for Congress.
This time she decided to run as a Republican.
She’s hoping that gives her an edge because in North Carolina voters not registered with either major party, known as unaffiliated, are the largest voting block in the state, and can participate in the Democrat or Republican primaries.
“Voters understand that the way to have a say is to choose which primary is actually going to elect their leader and vote in that primary,” Barr said. “I can absolutely win in this one… because primary turnout is so low it just doesn’t take that many people showing up and saying we’ve had enough to unseat an incumbent.”
Barr faces former North Carolina Speaker of the House and incumbent Republican congressman Tim Moore. His campaign told Spectrum News 1 that “Kate Barr’s latest stunt is an insult to Republican voters. Folks know a far-left fraud when they see one, and she doesn’t belong in our primary.”
Whether she wins or not, Barr hopes to encourage a fix to gerrymandering, an issue that’s front and center in North Carolina and around the country.
“Gerrymandering is wrong no matter which party is doing it, and we need to put an end to it. Period,” Barr said. “The goal, end result, is to have an independent commission in every state made up of citizens.”
Follow us on Instagram at spectrumnews1nc for news and other happenings across North Carolina.
POLK COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Two people are dead after a truck ran off the road in Polk County, according to the North Carolina Highway Patrol.
HIGHWAY PATROL SEEKS PUBLIC’S HELP IN FATAL HIT-AND-RUN THAT CLAIMED LIFE OF LEICESTER MAN
Highway patrol says the fatal collision occurred at approximately 12:55 p.m. when an F-150 was traveling east on North Carolina 108 near Farm Lane.
The truck ran off the road and struck a tree, catching fire and being consumed by the flames.
According to the Highway Patrol, the driver and passenger were trapped in the vehicle and died as a result of the collision and the fire.
UPDATE: MULTI-CAR CRASH ON ASHEVILLE BRIDGE NOW CLEARED
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (2)
Highway Patrol says it is working with the Medical Examiner’s Office to identify the deceased.
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