In rural Virginia, a majority of the county tax levy may be dedicated to paying teachers, repairing schools, and running the school bus system. If visitors pay a lot of taxes, then elected officials can set a low property tax rate for local residents while providing a high level of services. As Americans have become richer, tourism has become a major growth industry. Nearly all levels of government are encouraging tourism. Virginia nearly lost out to a Colorado attempt to have the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum expand in Colorado, rather than at Dulles International Airport.
Tourism does have negative impacts, and occasionally there is a backlash against tourism.
Virginia Beach police confronted black college students, risking a boycott after local residents complained that vacation behavior had gotten out of hand. Northern Fauquier residents feared commercial sprawl would overwhelm their county when Disney America was proposed near Haymarket in adjacent Prince William County. The Fauquier county supervisors have also struggled to control noise affecting residents adjacent to wineries trying to expand into hosting group parties and serving meals to tourists. The benefits outweigh the costs in most circumstances. Mother Nature ignores the political boundaries separating the states, or the counties and cities within Virginia.