Visitor spending for Mathews County reached $18.2 million in 2023, a 3.2 percent increase from 2022, according to data from the Virginia Tourism Corporation.
This includes direct visitor spending in the following categories: $13.3 million on lodging, $1.9 million on food and beverage, $0.3 million in retail, $1.1 million in recreation, and $1.6 million in transportation.
According to the Virginia Tourism Corporation, tourism in Virginia generated a record high $33.3 billion in visitor spending in 2023, an increase of nearly 10 percent from 2022, exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 14.7 percent. The tourism industry in Virginia directly supported over 224,000 jobs in 2023, an increase of over 13,000 jobs relative to 2022.
Direct travel employment is now at 93 percent of pre-pandemic employment levels. Visitor-facing industries accounted for more than 5 percent of all jobs in Virginia last year.
Travelers spent $91 million a day in Virginia in 2023, up from $83 million in 2022. Virginia vis...