Next week, the nation's eyes will be on Tampa, where former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), will accept their party's nomination for president and vice president of the United States during the Republican National Convention, taking place Aug. 27-30 at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.
The GOP won't be the only star of the show, however. The travel and tourism industry also will be center stage, according to the U.S. Travel Association, which will take its "Vote Travel 2.0" campaign to Tampa to promote pro-travel policies with themed collateral, including: Vote Travel key cards at the area's Marriott hotels, Vote Travel air fresheners in local taxi cabs, Vote Travel buttons pinned to convention bus drivers and a Vote Travel gift—Vote Travel postcards with smartphone screen cleaners—given from car rental companies to their customers.
"The Republican National Convention is an excellent opportunity for the travel industry to get its message out to a number of influencers," said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. "The travel industry employs 14.4 million Americans, and we generate $124 billion in tax revenues. Tampa is the perfect location for us to advocate for initiatives with economic benefits, such as expanding the Visa Waiver Program to countries like Brazil whose citizens frequently travel to Florida and spend here."
The Republican National Convention is expected to host 50,000 travelers, including 15,000 media. According to the U.S. Travel Association, those visitors will utilize 16,000 rooms in 105 hotels throughout the Tampa Bay area.
All told, the U.S. Travel Association estimates, the economic impact of the convention will be $150 million.
"Whether it is hotels, rental cars or convention halls, no other industry will have an impact on convention attendees like the travel industry," Dow said. "Meetings like political conventions mean business, and Tampa will see a significant economic benefit as a result."