During National Travel and Tourism Week May 2-8, there is more reason than ever to celebrate the collective strength of the U.S. travel and tourism industry and its dynamic workforce. That workforce includes people employed in food service, lodging, retail and other sectors that rely on visitors for income.
To celebrate signs of recovery in the local travel industry that was devastated by the pandemic and show why tourism is important to the Ozarks, the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau is asking people making a living in the industry to post comments, photos and videos on their social media accounts May 2-8 using the hashtags #sgftravel, #nttw21 and #PowerOfTravel.
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I work at ABC Restaurant in Springfield, Missouri, and thanks to my job in the travel industry, I'm paying my tuition. #sgftravel #nttw21 #PowerOfTravel |
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My daughter is a front desk clerk at The ABC Hotel. She's a single mom and relies on the income to pay the rent and feed her family. #sgftravel #nttw21 #PowerOfTravel |
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I own ABC Retail Store. My business struggled during the pandemic but it's getting better now that people are beginning to travel again. #sgftravel #nttw21 #PowerOfTravel |
Prior to the pandemic, the travel industry was a powerful economic engine, supporting jobs and driving local economies in every pocket of America. The industry had experienced 107 straight months of growth, generated $2.6 trillion in economic output, supported 17 million American jobs and delivered a $51 billion trade surplus to the U.S.
That strong growth trend plummeted last year due to the pandemic. Travel spending in the U.S. declined 42%, costing the economy $1.1 trillion, while Americans supported by travel made up a staggering 65% of all U.S. unemployment.
Springfield and the travel industry, however, are resilient.
While we faced extraordinary challenges in the past year, our industry united like never before, lifted each other up, aided one another, and devoted ourselves to the task of supporting and restoring all sectors of travel. This year’s NTTW is an opportunity to turn the page to a new chapter in our industry’s story and celebrate its collective power by spotlighting the innumerable ways travel will drive recovery, bring Americans together again and help define our country’s path forward.
