Blog

Jun 17, 2023

Parkway produces proceeds for Surry

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a wonderful place, highlighting nature and scenery, but doesn’t feature many restaurants, retail stores or hotels along its path — which is where neighboring communities

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a wonderful place, highlighting nature and scenery, but doesn’t feature many restaurants, retail stores or hotels along its path — which is where neighboring communities including Mount Airy enter the picture.

In the spirit of a mutually beneficial relationship, a new report shows that 15,711,004 visitors to the Blue Ridge Parkway during 2022 spent nearly $1.3 billion in communities near the scenic highway.

That spending supported 17,824 jobs in those surrounding areas and had a cumulative benefit to their economies of $1.7 billion, according to a peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis conducted by economists at the National Park Service, which oversees the Parkway.

As for the economics of visitor spending, the lodging sector had the highest direct effects, with the restaurant sector enjoying the second-greatest effects.

In addition to direct expenditures, the proximity to the scenic highway translates into jobs for gateway communities such as Mount Airy and surrounding areas.

These benefits are greatly appreciated by folks including Jessica Roberts, executive director of the Mount Airy Tourism Development Authority and Tourism Partnership of Surry County.

Along with her local tourism roles, Roberts has been heavily involved with the fabled route skirting through this region.

“The Blue Ridge Parkway is a year-round destination that drives visitors into Mount Airy and Surry County,” she observed. “This scenic drive brings tourists into our local accommodations, restaurants, attractions, downtowns and connects our rural mountain communities, towns and cities.”

Roberts continued, “As past president of the Blue Ridge Parkway Association and now serving as the outgoing president, we are proud to be a gateway community and work with the Blue Ridge Parkway and all of its organizations that promote it” — with that association serving as its marketing arm.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Association is a non-profit entity comprised of businesses, communities and individuals along its route who work together to promote member commercial establishments and organizations.