Your Guide to Dare County Tourism
- Tourism provides 13,880+ jobs in Dare County, employing 1-in-3 county residents.
- Annual Dare County tourism generates more than $130 million+ ($1,409 per resident) in State and Local tax revenue.
- Because tourism generates this revenue, each Dare County resident enjoys tax relief of $3,147 annually.
- Visitor spending in Dare County surpasses $1.4 billion in 2020.
- Dare is #4 among North Carolina’s 100 counties in terms of visitor spending.
- A 6% Dare County Occupancy tax (collected when visitors rent short-term lodging) is shared between Dare County and the six municipalities, the Beach Nourishment Fund, and the Dare County Tourism Board.
- Dare County and the municipalities receive half (3% of the 6% Occupancy tax) to be used “only for tourist-related purposes, including construction and maintenance of public facilities and buildings, garbage, refuse, and solid waste collection and disposal, police protection, and emergency services.”
- Of the Occupancy tax net proceeds received by Dare County and the towns, Dare receives 32% and the municipalities split the remaining 68%.
- Beach Nourishment receives 2% of the Occupancy tax net proceeds.
- The Tourism Board receives the remaining 1% of Occupancy tax, and 1% of a Prepared Food and Beverage tax. By law, 75% of these dollars are to be used to promote tourism and for the cost of administration. The remaining 25% are for programs or services needed due to the impact of tourism.
- Occupancy tax dollars reduce your ad valorem property taxes significantly regardless of where you own property in Dare County.
- During the 19/20 fiscal year, Occupancy tax contributed the following to Dare County, the municipalities, Beach Nourishment and the Dare County Tourism Board:
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Dare County - $4,664,831
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Kill Devil Hills - $2,740,880
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Kitty Hawk - $1,405,630
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Manteo - $660,190
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Nags Head - $2,741,871
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Southern Shores – $936,756
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Duck - $1,427,438
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Beach Nourishment - $10,214,436
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Tourism Board - $5,107,218
