National Travel and Tourism Week 2021
Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge Celebrates the ‘Power of Travel’

National Travel and Tourism Week 2021 (May 2-8) spotlights the collective strength of the U.S. travel industry.

Roanoke, VA — National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW), the annual celebration of the contributions of the U.S. travel industry, will spotlight the critical role that travel will play in driving economic recovery efforts and building the path forward through the theme Power of Travel.

Celebrated annually the first full week in May, NTTW was created by Congress in 1983 to elevate the economic power of travel in the U.S. The 38th annual NTTW (May 2-8) arrives at an opportune moment to recognize the importance to the U.S. economy of initiating a post-pandemic travel recovery.

“NTTW takes on a special significance this year as the travel industry looks to rebound quickly from the pandemic and accelerate recovery efforts,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. “The past year was incredibly challenging, but we saw the full power of the travel industry on display in the way we united and supported one another through this crisis.”

“Before the pandemic, travel generated $2.6 trillion in economic output, supported 17 million American jobs and delivered a $51 billion trade surplus to the U.S.—evidence of the outsized role the industry will play in America’s broader economic recovery,” said Dow.

“Despite the hardships of last year, we are ready and eager to welcome back visitors and help drive the region’s recovery efforts,” said Landon Howard, President of Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge. “National Travel and Tourism Week is an opportunity to remind visitors and residents of the incredible contributions of the travel industry not just to our local economy and workforce, but to our community’s identity and culture.”

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About Visit VBR – Visit VBR is the official destination marketing organization for the Cities of Roanoke and Salem and the Counties of Botetourt, Franklin and Roanoke. Visit VBR is a non-profit organization contributing to the economy through marketing, sales and services of meetings and sports groups. Visit VBR supports a vital and growing component of the local economy generating 8,037 jobs and $892 million in direct economic impact in 2019. For more information, go to the About Us section of www.VisitVBR.com