Hurricane Harvey Tourism Recovery Fund Unites Travel Industry

Tourism Cares and the Texas Travel Industry Association have launched the Hurricane Harvey Tourism Recovery Fund to restore destinations, tourism nonprofits and jobs within the Gulf Coast communities affected by the hurricane.

The Gulf Coast communities welcome millions of visitors and support 170,000 tourism jobs. The fund's focus on the region's recovery complements relief efforts and provides a way for the tourism industry to leverage its resources to help the region recover.

Fund contributions will focus on affected communities and organizations in need for:

• Physical restoration of damaged attractions and cultural tourism nonprofits, including historical monuments, beaches or open spaces, visitor centers and more.
• Capacity building and support for nonprofit organizations and their facilities, systems and staff capabilities, to ensure that the social capital of the region recovers and gets stronger. Activities include technical assistance and volunteering programs.
• Additional investments based on need, including trainings or volunteer management, disaster mitigation and planning, and marketing and communications support.

"This effort is a natural complement to all the wonderful giving we've already seen from the travel and tourism industry," said Tourism Cares CEO Mike Rea in a press release. "We can make the greatest difference by giving together with our industry, for our industry—especially in times of crisis. We will leverage not just our donations but also our expertise and influence, and we will share our stories and lessons throughout the industry."

Tourism Cares will administer the Hurricane Harvey Tourism Recovery Fund, engage with the industry nationwide and provide program expertise. The Texas Travel Industry Association will work with local destinations to assess needs and identify responses.

Donations may be made online at www.tourismcares.org/harvey. Checks made payable to Hurricane Harvey Tourism Recovery Fund may be sent to:

Tourism Cares
20 Vernon St.
Norwood, MA 02062

Questions may addressed to harvey@tourismcares.org.

Photo courtesy of Carlos G. Perrett.