CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW)- The money spent in the Charlottesville and Albemarle County area by visitors in 2025 exceeded $1 billion for the first time ever in 2025, the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau announced. When combining Albemarle County’s 2025 total of $603.5 million dollars, and Charlottesville City’s total of $427.7 million, the final number reached $1,031,200,00 for the area, a 6.3% increase from 2024.

Food and beverage sales drove much of that success.

“Tourism is a major economic driver for Charlottesville and Albemarle County, supporting small businesses, employees and residents, all while creating opportunities for new experiences and memorable connections for our visitors,” said Courtney Catacian, Executive Director of the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau, in a release.

The CACVB has worked hard to see continuous growth of the tourism industry in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area, not just by supporting the local economic landscape, but looking elsewhere to intentionally bring people toward Charlottesville and Albemarle County, both in drive-markets (places that are within driving distance), and throughout the East coast.

“Our entire role is to make sure that we are helping small businesses and the tourism industry here be ready for visitors, and have the resources they need, as well as marketing outside of the area to entice visitors to come here,” Anna Whitlow, Communications Director of CACVB, told Cville Right Now.

Out of the five categories of spending used to take these metrics, food and beverage spending was the largest financial driver in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area, accounting for $375.9 million of the total accrued, lodging was a close second at $223.1 million.  

“For an area with our population size, its been amazing to think we have this many wonderful venues,” Whitlow said “and this is supported by the visitors to our area.”

At the state level, Virginia brought in 46.6 million overnight visitors, both domestic and international, who spent $99 million per day in the state.

The tourism market supported 232,000 jobs at the state level, 7,217 of which came from the Charlottesville-Albemarle area. These jobs include working in food and beverage venues, hotel staff, or even staff at outdoor recreation spots and historical locations.

“The tourism industry is a strong economic engine both for individuals and the state of Virginia to help build the infrastructure we need.” Whitlow said.

The increased focus on tourism both locally and statewide as an economic driver has had positive effects on both the tax outlook of Virginians, along with an uptick in job creation.  Tourism created $2.6 billion dollars in tax revenue, saving Virginians an average of $1,020 dollars in state and local taxes.  Tourism generated $29 million in tax revenue in Albemarle County and $22.3 million in Charlottesville City. 

Whitlow also mentioned that their organization is paying attention to new opportunities in flight markets, specifically direct flight markets in the new year.

The Virginia Tourism corporation cited record numbers in hotel stays across the state as evidence of sustained growth of the statewide tourism industry.

“From coast to cliff, visitors are discovering everything Virginia has to offer, and our tourism partners are delivering the experiences that keep them coming back.” said Rita McCleny, President and CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation, in a release.