Celebrating and Promoting the Power of Travel

An annual tradition for the U.S. travel community, National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) is a time when travel and tourism professionals across the country unite to celebrate the value travel holds for our economy, businesses and personal well-being.

This year, those in the industry are asked to 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.

U.S. Travel Association, the national, nonprofit organization representing all components of the travel industry, provides the industry with a unifying theme and toolkit resources that can be customized by each destination, organization, or business to fit their needs.

"NTTW takes on a special significance this year as the travel industry looks to rebound quickly from the pandemic and accelerate recovery efforts," said Roger Dow, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO. "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."

During NTTW, Tuesday is traditionally recognized as "Travel Rally Day" and many use it as an opportunity to organize in-person celebrations with their community. This year, U.S. Travel is embracing a 'digital NTTW' because even though we all may not be able to gather together, we can use our social media channels and unifying hashtags (#nttw21 and #PowerOfTravel) to connect us and support each other from afar. Additionally, participants are encouraged to incorporate RED, the official color of NTTW, into their planning or collateral.

To learn more about how to get involved in National Travel and Tourism Week, click here.

Written by Sarah Suydam, Managing Editor for Groups Today.

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Travel Association.