Tourist spending tightens.

• Position: Statewide - Report

Recession hit the state's tourism industry hard near the end of 2008, but it came too late to do more than slow the growth in spending. That's not the case this year. "Unless we see a dramatic turnaround soon, it's going to be down significantly," says Lynn Minges, the state's top tourism official. Depite the increase in overall spending last year, many attractions reported declines in attendance.

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Blue Ridge Parkway

More than 18.2 million visitors traveled the scenic mountain road last year, down 5.4%. The culprit: $4-a-gallon gas. This year, late-winter and spring snow closed sections, getting 2009 off to a crawl--a 7% decrease through March.

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Biltmore Estate

ASHEVILLE--Attendance totaled 1,070,919 last year, but that was down 4.2% due to skyrocketing gas prices and a slumping economy. This year? Think flat, a spokeswoman says.

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Concord Mills

CONCORD--Traffic at the mall, once touted as the state's top tourist attraction, stayed constant--about 17.6 million visitors--in 2007 and 2008, Marketing Director Holly Roberson says. Figures were not available for 2009.

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Old Salem Museums & Gardens

WINSTON-SALEM--About 95,000 people paid admission in the fiscal year that ended Feb. 28. That was 5% fewer than the previous year. So far, this year's numbers are comparable to last year, according to Lauren Werner, director of marketing.

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Pinehurst Resort

PINEHURST--The collapse of corporate travel--usually 60% of business--in the fourth quarter led to a 12% decline in occupancy for 2008. Though March, it was down 30% this year, spokeswoman Janeen Driscoll says.

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Outer Banks

DARE COUNTY--Some 5 million came last year, probable down slightly, Revenue suffered more because many cut back on discretionary spending such as dining out. The...