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Visit LaGrange, Inc., joins the rest of the U.S. this week in the annual celebration of National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) and the contributions that tourism has on local communities.

During NTTW, the travel industry spotlights the critical role that tourists play in driving national and local economic recovery efforts. “National Travel and Tourism Week 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.

“Visit LaGrange, the tourism marketing organization for the City of LaGrange, is saluting the power of travel and those in our community who serve in the tourism industry by supporting and marketing the businesses that welcome our visitors every day,” said Visit LaGrange President and CEO Kathy Tilley. “Despite the hardships of the last year, LaGrange is ready and eager to welcome back visitors and help drive LaGrange’s recovery efforts.”

National Travel and Tourism Week is an opportunity to remind visitors and residents of the incredible contributions of the travel industry to their own community. 

According to Georgia’s tourism office, Explore Georgia, the 2019 economic impact of visitors to Troup County was $199.29 million – a substantial growth over 2015 which was $156.27 million. There were nearly 1,350 tourism related jobs in Troup County in 2019, which represented a payroll of $35.37 million. “Local tax revenues from tourists were $6.02 million in 2019. If we didn’t have those visitors, each Troup County household would need to be taxed an additional $562 per year to replace that revenue,” said Tilley. “The past year was incredibly challenging for our attractions, hotels, restaurants, and shops but everyone supported each other, and now we are seeing travelers choosing to come back to LaGrange to visit.”

NTTW, annually celebrated the first full week in May, was created by Congress in 1983 to elevate the economic power of travel in the U.S. The 38th annual NTTW (May 2-8, 2021) arrives at an opportune moment to recognize the importance to the U.S. economy of initiating a post-pandemic travel recovery.