Tourists and business visitors spent nearly $1 billion in Charlottesville area in 2024

As local governments seek additional revenue to pay for services, one local industry continued to experience growth in 2024.

According to data from the Virginia Tourism Corporation, visitors to Albemarle and Charlottesville spent $989.8 million during the year. That’s up 3.5 percent from 2023.

“Visitors are choosing our area to experience our internationally-renowned wine scene, outdoor recreation experiences, historic attractions, delicious culinary outlets and unique lodging, and we are excited to continue to work with our valued tourism partners and residents to celebrate and build this robust sector of our economy,” said Courtney Cacatian, executive director of the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau, in a September 8, 2025 information release.

When you break the numbers down, visitors to Albemarle spent $587.2 million in direct spending, up 6.5 percent from 2023.

Charlottesville, however, experienced a 0.8 percent decrease with $402.6 million.

The VTC data shows that there are 7,172 tourism jobs in the area. Tourism generated $27.7 million in local taxes for Albemarle and $20.8 million for Charlottesville.

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