Vacation pays: businesses and communities along the coast cash in as tourists spend their days in the sun.

• Position: SPONSORED SECTION: COASTAL CAROLINA

The sun isn't the only thing shining on the North Carolina coast. Forty-three million tourists flock to the state's more than 320 miles of shoreline each year, spending about $3 billion--about one-sixth of total Tar Heel visitor spending--and supporting 80,000 jobs. But not all of tourism's benefits are direct. Creating unforgettable experiences for visitors can attract business and industry. From Sunset Beach to Duck, this summer's beach-house renter might be next year's business owner.

Whether they come for golf--the coast boasts three of Golflink. com's top 10 Tar Heel golf courses--to attend a festival, fish or relax, tourists spend money. Brunswick, New Hanover, Dare and Carteret counties recorded a larger economic impact from tourism spending in 2012 than the year before, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce's Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development.

Brunswick is home to Calabash, known for its lightly breaded and fried seafood, and Southport, whose North Carolina Fourth of July Festival attracts more than 40,000 each year. They helped domestic tourism spending--that done by U.S. citizens--in the county generate an economic impact of about $445 million in 2012, up 6.7% from 2011. That's 10th among North Carolina's 100 counties. Tourism spending had a $460 million economic impact in New Hanover in 2012, 8% more than in 2011, and ninth in the state thanks to attractions such as Fort Fisher and Wrightsville, Carolina and Kure beaches. "When tourism revenues are up, it means more jobs and a better quality of life for our local citizens," says Kim Hufham, president and CEO of the New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority.

Dare, fourth in visitor spending, recorded a $926 million impact from domestic tourism spending in 2012, 5.6% more than in 2011. Dare is home to three popular attractions: Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Park. Along the Crystal Coast--which includes Beaufort, Morehead City, Atlantic Beach and Emerald Isle in Carteret--business was booming this spring, says Carol Lohr, director of Carteret County Convention &amp...