PITTSFIELD — Tourism helped drive the Berkshire economy in 2017, contributing 8 percent more to economic growth than the year before, according to figures from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.That 8 percent rise in the total economic impact of tourism in the county — from $764 million in 2016 to $827 million last year — is said to be unusual.”It’s the biggest we’ve seen in several years,” said 1Berkshire President and CEO Jonathan Butler, whose organization includes the former Berkshire Visitors Bureau.Yearly increases are normally 1 to 2 percent, Butler said.Direct visitor spending in the Berkshires increased for the eighth straight year in 2017, going from $462 million to $517 million, according to the state statistics. That sum was $208 million when the increases began in 2009. Read more about the 8 percent jump >>