National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW), the annual celebration of the contributions of the U.S. travel industry, will spotlight the critical role that travel will play in driving economic recovery efforts and building the path forward through the theme Power of Travel.
Celebrated annually the first full week in May, NTTW was created by Congress in 1983 to elevate the economic power of travel in the U.S. The 38th annual NTTW (May 2-8) arrives at an opportune moment to recognize the importance to the U.S. economy of initiating a post-pandemic travel recovery.
“NTTW takes on a special significance this year as the travel industry looks to rebound quickly from the pandemic and accelerate recovery efforts,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. “The past year was incredibly challenging, but we saw the full power of the travel industry on display in the way we united and supported one another through this crisis. Before the pandemic, travel generated $2.6 trillion in economic output, supported 17 million American jobs and delivered a $51 billion trade surplus to the U.S.—evidence of the outsized role the industry will play in America’s broader economic recovery,” said Dow.
Leisure and hospitality had gross sales across Minnesota of $16.6 billion; and employed 275,000 people.
“Tourism and hospitality in Itasca County has an economic impact of $79.4 million in gross sales and employs over 1,500 people.
Tourism is a very large year-round economic driver in Itasca County. We are proud to market, promote and advocate on Itasca County hospitality and tourism industry each year, “ shares Megan Christianson, Executive Director, Visit Grand Rapids.
Visit Grand Rapids is saluting the power of travel by sharing what the power of travel means to our lodging partners. The lodging properties are the foundation of Visit Grand Rapids. “We are lucky to have 30 partners that welcome our visitors into our community. We salute them for making our visitors feel like Grand Rapids is their “home away from home”. We also are a sponsor of the Grand Rapids Downtown Spring Celebration which promotes family fun, shopping/dining local and enjoying springtime in Grand Rapids,” shares Lilly Smith, Marketing Coordinator, Visit Grand Rapids.
Visit Grand Rapids is funded by a 3% lodging tax that is collected by the following lodging properties: AmericInn, Antler Lake Retreat, Bowstring Shores Resort, Brewed Awakenings Air B&B, Buckhorn on Caribou Lake, Camp Hiawatha, Country Inn & Suites, First Ave Suites, Forest Lake Hotel, Green Heron Bed & Breakfast, Hotel Rapids, IM Hotel, Itascan Motel, Jessie View Resort & Campground, Lakeshore Haven, Loon’s Landing on Big Jessie Lake, Loon Point Resort, Mallard Point, Moose Lake Resort, Nevaeh Properties, Pine Grove Motel, Pokegama Lake Resort, Rising Eagle Resort, Southwood Resort, Sugar Lake Lodge, Timberlake Lodge Hotel, The Doc House, The Hideaway, Wildwood Resort, and White Pine Lake Home. The City of Grand Rapids is Visit Grand Rapids Tax Administrator.
Marketing Coordinator, Lilly Smith said, “Despite everything that has happened this past year, Visit Grand Rapids is ready and eager to welcome back visitors into our community safely. This will help drive Grand Rapids and the surrounding area’s recovery. National Travel and Tourism Week is an opportunity to remind visitors and residents of the incredible contributions of the travel industry not just to our local economy and workforce, but to our community’s identity and culture. We hope our visitors come to our community with a sense of home away from home feeling.
For more information, visit ustravel.org/NTTW and Visit Grand Rapids to learn more about National Travel and Tourism Week.
Originally Appeared On: https://www.grandrapidsmn.com/news/visit-grand-rapids-celebrates-the-power-of-travel-during-national-travel-and-tourism-week-2021/article_141d0274-a7a0-11eb-8843-97ac9ed5faa9.html