The 35th annual National Travel and Tourism Week (May 6-12) unites communities across the country to celebrate what travel means to American jobs, economic growth and personal well-being.
 
The theme of this year’s NTTW, “Travel Then and Now,” highlights the travel industry’s history of economic impact in every corner of America. Across Augusta, GA, travel employs a prosperous and diverse workforce, from airline and hotel employees to restaurant, attraction and retail workers, and supports related sectors such as construction, manufacturing and finance. Some of the numbers:
 
4,700 jobs are supported by travel and tourism in Augusta, GA

Travel and tourism generates $14.5 million in local tax revenue for Augusta, GA
 
These local figures are an important part of travel’s economic importance nationwide. To wit:
 
Travel is a $2.3 trillion industry in the U.S., with $990.3 billion in direct travel-related spending in the U.S. by domestic and international visitors in 2016.

These visitors support 15.3 million American jobs—roughly 8.6 million direct travel jobs, and 6.7 million indirect and induced jobs.

Travel-related spending generated $72 billion in federal, state and local tax revenues in 2016.
 
“Many aspects of the U.S. travel experience may have changed over the years, but one thing hasn’t: it’s impact on the lives of American workers all over the country,” said Roger Dow, President and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, the umbrella organization representing the U.S. travel industry. “Whether we’re talking about 1968 or 2018, travel jobs have been a gateway to the middle class for millions—and they’re completely non-exportable, no matter how much the global economy changes. This National Travel and Tourism Week, we’re saluting travel’s long history as an economic engine in our country, and calling on our nation’s leaders to prioritize travel-friendly legislation, for the sake of millions of American workers.”