Tourism Generated $302.2 million in Revenue for Newport News in 2021

By: City of Newport News

Tourism was once again an important contributor to the economy of Virginia and to the City of Newport News in 2021 according to data prepared by Tourism Economics for the Virginia Tourism Corporation. In Newport News, revenue from tourism reached $302,249,243 in 2021, a 37.1% increase over 2020, when the pandemic had a devastating impact on the travel industry. Tourism also supported 2,985 jobs in Newport News in 2021, a 5.5% increase from the prior year. As an economic engine, tourism in Newport News produced $17,846,583 in local taxes (a 21.5% increase) and $9,148,184 in state taxes (a 29.3% increase) over 2020 figures.

Though Newport News hasn’t fully recovered to its pre-pandemic spending levels of 2019, the Coastal Virginia region as a whole experienced a 4.9% increase in spending over 2019 levels. Relative to 2019, Newport News is still down about 10% in direct visitor spending. We plan to improve this statistic over the next few months, as we launch our new city brand and engage with audiences about unique and fun Newport News experiences.

In the Commonwealth of Virginia, tourism accounted for $25.2 billion in travel spending, supported 185,000 jobs, and generated $1.8 billion in state and local tax revenue in 2021. Tourism spending saved each Virginia household approximately $776 in additional state and local tax collections in 2021.

The Virginia Tourism Corporation partnered with Tourism Economics to complete the 2021 Annual Economic Impact study. Figures are based on spending by travelers from within the United States on trips taken 50 miles or more away from home. Detailed economic impact data by locality is available on the Virginia Tourism Corporation website.