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.” 

According to the University of Georgia’s Hospitality and Travel Economic Snapshots for Georgia counties, Augusta’s hotels and restaurants generated over $1.1 billion in revenues in 2019. Last year, locally the leisure and hospitality sector was the most affected by the coronavirus pandemic with a loss of 11,000 jobs by April 2020. While recovery is happening, employment numbers are still 4,500 off the peak going from the third largest industry in the Augusta MSA in 2019 to fifth. *Source: Augusta Leisure and Hospitality Industry Index by Simon Medcalfe, Augusta University James M. Hull College of Business Professor 

“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. 

The Augusta Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is saluting the power of travel by honoring the legacy of Augusta native, Mr. James Brown, on his birthday on May 3rd and all month long through our website, VisitAugusta.com, and social media channels. The CVB will be recognizing the Masters of Hospitality winners, a program that awards individuals who have given exceptional service to our visitors.

On Thursday, May 6th look for a special announcement from the Augusta CVB and the Augusta Sports Council. 

“Despite the hardships of the last year, the Augusta CVB is ready and eager to welcome back visitors and help drive Augusta’s recovery efforts,” said Bennish Brown, President/CEO of the Augusta CVB. “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.” 

Please visit ustravel.org/NTTW to learn more about National Travel and Tourism Week.