This year marks the 40th anniversary of the annual industry celebration.
Effingham, IL — National Travel and Tourism Week, (NTTW) is the annual celebration of the contributions of the U.S. travel industry, will spotlight the essen.al role that travel will play in driving economic growth and innovation through the theme #TravelForward.
Travel serves as a catalyst for a productive U.S. economy and helps power the success of other industries. The U.S. travel industry generated a $2.6 trillion economic output in 2022 and supported 15 million jobs, fueling communities, small businesses and working families across the country.
Travel spending also generated nearly $160 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022— revenue that helped fund critical public services while saving each U.S. household an average of $1,270 in taxes.
In Effingham, the travel industry drove over $208 million in visitor spending, which is a 3.4% increase from the previous year. It has also employed over 1,400 residents and generated over $6 million in local tax receipts in Effingham County in 2021.
Visit Effingham is celebrating travel’s promising future by inviting travelers and residents, alike, to experience National Travel + Tourism Week with us. Follow along on social media as we celebrate 40 years of National Travel + Tourism Week by highlighting some of Effingham’s unique attractions. We invite you to visit us in-person at our tourism office, located at 201 E. Jefferson Avenue. Pick up tourism information for the Effingham area – as well as other Midwestern destinations – enter to win the ultimate “Summer in Effingham” giveaway, including 4 tickets to Moccasin Creek Festival, a $100 gift card to Pinky’s and other summer essentials. Once you enter the giveaway, you can pick up a souvenir clear travel bag and a travel-inspired cookie from Dawn’s Confections to thank you for stopping by.
Executive Director, Jodi Thoele, says, “Visit Effingham empowers our city’s economic state by existing as an organization. We strategically funnel potential travelers into our city to enhance the economic development of our region. National Travel and Tourism Week offers us the perfect opportunity to promote tourism in our area and market our destination as the ideal Midwestern getaway.”
Please visit ustravel.org/NTTW to learn more about National Travel and Tourism Week.