(RALEIGH) -- Ninety-eight of North Carolina's 100 counties saw increases in visitor spending in 2010, while 13 counties even saw double-digit increases. Assistant Secretary of Commerce Lynn Minges said it was obviously a great year for tourism.

"Forty-thousand businesses across the state benefited from that spending, so the beauty of this industry and this kind of business is that it continues to grow and thrive all across North Carolina and that's jobs, that's spending, tax revenue and across the board it continues to be an industry that is growing and thriving statewide," said Minges.

Visitors to North Carolina spent a record $17 billion in 2010, which is an increase of 9 percent from 2009. Tourists spent the most money in Mecklenburg, Wake and Guilford Counties.