Alleghany tourism rises 9.7 percent

Tourism in Alleghany County was up an estimated 9.7 percent in 2005, attaining an impact of $16.82 million on the local economy, according to data recently released by the N.C. Department of Travel and Tourism.

In 2005, about 180 jobs were directly attributable to travel and tourism. Tourism-related employment generated an annual payroll of $3.43 million in 2005, up from $3.26 million in 2004.

The county's state tax receipts totaled $840,000, while local tax receipts totaled $1,180,000. According to the data, the total tax receipts amounted to $2.02 million, representing an estimated average tax savings of $186 per county resident.

One of Alleghany's biggest tourism draws is the Blue Ridge Parkway. More than 21 million people visited the scenic roadway in 1999, the most recent year for which statistics were listed.

Local tourism expenditures have almost doubled since 1990, when an estimated $9.18 million was spent here. However, even with the increases, Alleghany still only ranks 82nd out of the state's 100 counties for tourism impact.

Alleghany's increase in estimated tourism expenditures in 2005 was well above the state average of 7.2 percent.

"It's nice to see we've grown at a rate higher than the state average," said Bob Bamberg, executive director of the Alleghany Chamber of Commerce. "I was pleased, but surprised it wasn't a larger increase. According to our guest registry, we had around 60 percent more entries the first half of this year compared to last. While the number of entries into our registry is only good for an approximation, we have certainly felt much busier in this office."

Bamberg said the future of tourist traffic and spending appear to be bright for Alleghany. "With the planned opening of the Sparta Teapot Museum on the horizon, I look for continued strong growth in travel and tourism in the county," he said.

According to information recorded in the guest log at the Chamber between January and July of this year, 48 percent of visitors there were in Alleghany on vacation. Another 17 percent were part-time residents, 16 percent were here to visit friends, 10 percent were here to look for property, 5 percent were new residents and 4 percent were here on business.

Bamberg pointed out that the guest register is only an approximation, since sometimes only one family member signs, while other times more than one signs.

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