Pack Your Bags, Support Jobs!
May 5, 2014This post contains external links. Please review our external linking policy.
Isabel Hill is the Director of the International Trade Administration’s National Travel and Tourism Office.
National Travel and Tourism Week is May 3-11, 2014. (Photo courtesy U.S. National Park Service)
It’s National Travel and Tourism Week, and there may not be an industry in the country that contributes so much to the U.S. economy and is so fun to celebrate!
You may not have thought about it, but your last road trip, night in a hotel, or weekend at the coast contributed to an industry that supports millions of jobs here in the United States. Travel and tourism generated $1.51 trillion for the U.S. economy in 2013.
This industry is also the country’s largest services export industry, contributing a record $180.7 billion to U.S. export totals in 2013. Those exports support 1.3 million U.S. jobs.
On top of the numbers is the contribution this industry makes to quality of life. Research shows that travel has a positive effect on relationships, education, and health!
So what’s not to celebrate?
We at the International Trade Administration’s National Travel and Tourism Office are proud to work with the U.S. Travel Association, numerous state agencies, and the private sector to support travel and tourism and highlight its beneficial effects on the economy.
How has travel affected your life? Be sure to join the conversation on Twitter and share your story using #NTTW14. Then pull out your calendar – it’s time to plan your next vacation!
Tradeology, the ITA Blog 