Discover Durham said 13.5 million people visited Durham County in 2025, a record and an increase of more than 2% from the year before. The tourism group shared the figure Tuesday at its annual event.
That builds on Durham's last annual tourism report, which found 13 million visitors in 2023 and more than $1 billion in spending. Numbers released Tuesday also show visitors spent more than $1.1 billion in 2024.
- That 2024 spending generated $81 million in local and state taxes, which Discover Durham said offset $545 per Durham County household that would otherwise need to be collected for local government services.
- Visitors to eight of Durham's largest festivals drove nearly $9 million in direct economic impact.
- Discover Durham said it worked with the Durham Convention Center this year to calculate the venue's annual economic impact at $20 million.
Susan Amey, Discover Durham's president and CEO, tied the tourism gains to Durham's small business base. Cara Rousseau, the group's chief marketing officer, said Durham is home to more than 800 small businesses.
The numbers also point to what Discover Durham sees as Durham's draw. In 2024, Amey said the city needed more performing arts, sports, and convention space to grow tourism further. Tuesday's update instead focused on visitor volume, festival spending, and convention center impact.
What's next: Discover Durham said it plans to release more figures later this year in its next annual report.