In honor of the 26th Annual National Travel and Tourism Week, taking place nationwide this week, several convention and visitors bureaus in the South are organizing activities, rallies and promotions. Designed around this year's theme—"Travel Matters"—their goal is to demonstrate the economic value of travel, tourism and meetings.
"I think this year's 'Travel Matters' theme really hits home with the recession," said Brant Branham, board chairman of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce (MBACC) in Myrtle Beach, S.C., which is among the Southern cities celebrating National Travel and Tourism Week. "Travel fuels America's economy, and tourism is the Myrtle Beach area's No. 1 industry."
In Myrtle Beach, the MBACC is distributing "Thank You for Visiting" decals to its members—encouraging them to place them on business or vehicle windows—and advertising a "Tourism Works for Us" message in local newspapers and on local television stations.
In nearby Columbia, S.C., meanwhile, the Columbia Regional Visitors Center is sponsoring giveaways to local attractions.
"Hotels and meeting facilities, attractions, restaurants and transportation providers are among the local businesses greatly impacted by travel to Columbia, S.C.," said Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports & Tourism President and CEO Ric Luber. "This industry employs more than 10,000 people, generates more than $1 billion in revenue for our city and touches our community in countless other ways. This week in Columbia we will celebrate the people who visit here, the workforce that provides services for them and the development created as a result."
As part of a nationwide National Travel and Tourism Week effort, at least nine convention and visitors bureaus in the South—in Atlanta, New Orleans, Louisville, Miami and Orlando, among several other cities and counties—participated in the first-ever U.S. Travel Rally Day on May 12. Organized by the U.S. Travel Association, it included local rallies in support of travel and tourism in at least 41 cities.
For more information on the 26th Annual National Travel and Tourism Week, visit the
U.S. Travel Association's Web site.