VisitNC released a report last week detailing economic impact statistics across the state for 2020. 

Unsurprisingly, with a surge in COVID cases and the enforcement of pandemic-related precautions, spending from visitors in Cumberland County decreased by 27.9 percent.

 In 2019, visitor spending in the county totaled $623.73 million and in 2020, visitor spending dropped to $449.85. 

Despite the drop in visitor spending, the Can Do community has fared well compared to the other counties in North Carolina. In fact, out of the state’s 100 counties, Cumberland County ranked 11 on VisitNC’s list.

Part of the drop in visitor spending may be from the lack of events in the community that draw people from across the state to Fayetteville; some of those same events have already been scheduled for this year and next as vaccinations have become more prevalent.