The Wilmington area booked more visitor spending in 2017, according to state numbers released Thursday.

Pender County showed the most visitor spending growth in the tri-county region, outpacing the state. In the study of the economic impact of travel on the state's counties, Visit North Carolina reported Thursday that domestic visitors to and within Pender County spent $97 million in 2017, an increase of more than 5 percent from 2016.

In New Hanover County, visitors spent about $578 million in 2017, up a little over 4 percent from 2016. Brunswick County's figure for last year was $562 million, a 3.36 percent change.

The visitor spending figures come from a yearly study commissioned by Visit North Carolina, which is part of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, and conducted by the U.S. Travel Association.
 
“This is significant for Pender County,” said Tammy Proctor, Pender County tourism director, in a news release. “Tourism in Pender County generated $18.03 million in payroll for more than 840 employees in the hospitality and tourism-related businesses.”
 
State tax revenue generated in Pender totaled $4.67 million through state sales and excise taxes on personal and corporate income, the Visit North Carolina numbers show. An estimated $6.81 million in local taxes was generated from sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses, the release stated.
 
“Pender County’s outstanding attractions and beaches have received national attention,” said Proctor in the release. “This county’s natural resources, historic sites, and events and festivals have a lot to offer visitors throughout the year.”

New Hanover County's travel industry payroll was $141 million in 2017, up nearly 8.7 percent from the previous year. New Hanover's state tax receipts grew 3.5 percent to $28 million, while its local receipts grew nearly 5.8 percent to about $23 million.

In Brunswick County, state tax receipts grew to $26 million for a nearly 2.6 percent increase and local receipts were up nearly 5 percent to about $34.6 million, while its travel industry payroll grew by almost 7.7 percent to $113 million.

The highest growth in visitor spending in 2017 took place in Polk County, where the $100 million Tryon International Equestrian Center opened in 2015. Spending there grew by 8.3 percent to more than $30 million.
 
Gov. Roy Cooper announced in May that visitors to North Carolina set a record for spending in 2017. The $23.99 billion in total spending represented an increase of 4.2 percent from 2016.