Happy National Travel & Tourism Week!

What is National Travel and Tourism Week?

• National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW), now in its 34th year, is the annual salute to travel in America.
• During the first full week in May, communities nationwide unite to showcase the impact of travel to policymakers, business leaders and local media with rallies, events and other activities.
• This NTTW, we are shining a spotlight on the people who keep this industry strong: The Faces of Travel.

  The travel industry is an indispensable source of American jobs—jobs that cannot be outsourced.

  • The travel industry supports 15.3 million American workers—8.6 million directly and 6.7 million indirectly.
  • One in every 9 American jobs depends on travel.
  • Travel is one of the top 10 employers of American workers in 49 of the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia.
  • More than half of all travel industry employees—a total of 4.3 million—earn middle- class wages or higher.
  • Two in five (40%) American workers whose first job was in the travel industry are now earning more than $100,000 per year.
  • Among workers who began their careers in the travel industry, 33 percent earned at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to just 28 percent in healthcare, 19 percent in construction and 18 percent in manufacturing. Travel workers have helped shape travel to be one of America’s strongest industries.
• Travel generates $2.3 trillion for the U.S. economy.
• Direct travel spending in the U.S. totaled $990.3 billion by domestic and international travelers in 2016.
• International travel spending directly supported about 1.2 million U.S. jobs and

  $32.4 billion in wages.

  1 All data from U.S. Travel Association, unless otherwise noted.

Travel jobs are a ticket to opportunity and a path to prosperity for millions of Americans.