Durham is 7 th in travel impact among North Carolina's 100 counties. Jobs 7,040 jobs in Durham County are directly attributable to travel and tourism. Durham-based Research Triangle Park, begun in 1959, has 74 companies and 35,000 emloyees. Visitors A 1994 survey found historic sites, beaches, scenic areas, museums, golf and fishing most popular among visitors to North Carolina. Origins Top states of origin for North Carolina domestic visitors are Virginia, Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, South Carolina, Ohio, and Georgia.
International visitors come mainly from Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and France.
Hotel occupancy for the Research Triangle economic development region is among the most stable, consistently exceeding state average.