National Travel and Tourism Week returns this year from May 4–10, 2025, celebrating the industry’s vital role in fueling economic growth, generating employment, and enhancing quality of life for residents across the United States. Established in 1983, the annual tradition brings together industry leaders, small businesses, visitors, and residents alike to recognize the importance of the tourism sector’s role in helping to fuel economic growth across America. This year’s theme, “Celebrating the Power of Travel to Fuel Economies, Strengthen Communities, and Connect America,” highlights the undeniable truth that travel and tourism are interlinked with prosperity while serving as a cornerstone for job creation, cultural exchange, and economic resilience across every corner of the country.

During National Travel and Tourism Week, organizations highlight travel as the cornerstone of the US economy. Tourism is responsible for one out of every eleven jobs and employs over 15 million people. The U.S. Travel Association’s Travel Fact Sheet highlights that $1.3 trillion in visitor spending generated more than $2.9 trillion in economic output for the U.S. GDP, driven by the direct, indirect, and induced impacts of increased travel both domestically and internationally. In addition, travel-generated tax revenue reached $190 billion in 2024, saving US households an estimated $1460 on an annual basis. These figures demonstrate the travel industry’s vital role in boosting America’s global competitiveness and attracting millions of visitors. Further, the weeklong celebration highlights travel’s unique ability to foster cultural interaction, mutual respect, and a deeper understanding of the diverse cultures, regions, and histories that make up the United States.   

Celebrating the Power of Travel: Fueling Economies and Strengthening Communities  

To help kick off the festivities, organizations across all fifty US states are encouraged to show their support for National Travel and Tourism Week through several key initiatives. Destinations are encouraged to show their support by using press releases, brand guidelines, proclamations, and related graphics released by the US Travel Association. In addition, organizations are encouraged to create social media posts with the hashtag #NTTW25 across platforms to highlight the ways that tourism helps fuel their local businesses, creates employment opportunities for residents, and helps to increase the quality of life for members of the community. Within the messaging and social media guide, destinations can post relevant and timely topics about the power of tourism on all social media platforms. With each post, destinations can create a call to action utilizing the weeklong celebration to highlight local impact stories, promote community events, use data to authentically tell their stories, and encourage user-generated content to share stories about the impact of tourism. 

During the weeklong event, organizations can utilize data to highlight key talking points about the tourism industry, such as how it drives economic growth, fosters meaningful cultural interaction, and stimulates related industries, such as retail, agriculture, and manufacturing, which contribute to the US economy. In towns and cities alike, visitor spending generates local revenue, revitalizes main streets, and funds essential services like safety, fire prevention, education, and infrastructure. Through these investments, travel not only uplifts local communities but it also helps to strengthen America’s position on the global stage by playing a critical role in increasing U.S. competitiveness. Furthermore, travel is a catalyst for connection and opportunity, bringing multiple stakeholders within a community together, laying the foundation for collaboration, sharing of best practices, and building lasting relationships that help to create a more resilient sector.   

Key Activations

For this year’s celebration, destinations are planning initiatives in their community to highlight tourism’s role in propelling economic prosperity. The Maryland Tourism Coalition has partnered with industry partners to put on events throughout the state including Maryland in a Day on May 6, Visit Frederick Spring Social on May 7 (Invite Only), the Hospitality & Tourism Career Fair in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County on May 8, and Visit Baltimore’s CONNECT on May 9 (Invite Only), featuring an evening of networking with industry colleagues aboard a raven ship. Visit Nebraska is honoring the week with frontline awards honoring hospitality employees, offering daily activities to accompany the weeklong event, and a daily-themed social media contest to win an ad in the 2026 Nebraska travel guide. Visit Franklin will celebrate with a series of community events including a community block party at the visitor center featuring surprise giveaways, music, food, a bus photo booth, and specialty mocktails from the Fab Tab. 

“National Travel & Tourism Week is the perfect time for us to remind our community not only of the positive economic impact of tourism on Williamson County, but also the experiences in our own backyard that support local jobs, enhance our quality of life, and connect us to people and stories from around the world. I encourage everyone to get out and explore locally.” Maureen Haley Thornton, President & CEO, Visit Franklin, TN 

On May 8, the Woodlands Texas Convention and Visitors Bureau will celebrate tourism award honorees during their Hospitality Appreciation Night, an evening filled with recognition, celebration, and live music. To highlight the value of the tourism economy, the organization is offering discounted tickets at various attractions, including Texas Tree Adventures, Riva Row Boat House, and Swans at the Mall with discount code NTTW2025. Other destinations celebrating National Travel and Tourism Week include Visit Fort Myers and their call to light up their buildings in blue in honor of the industry, proclamation, and celebration of hospitality employees at the annual E Awards.  

San Diego Tourism Authority will toast to the tourism industry in collaboration with industry partners for an evening out at SeaWorld San Diego. This event will feature live music, networking, and enchanting marine life encounters. Visit Lake Charles launched the Always Here campaign, an initiative designed to highlight the presence of visitors who help support and enrich the Southwest Louisiana economy.  At the center of the campaign is a powerful video titled “Always Here” highlighting the stories and motivations behind why visitors choose to visit Lake Charles. Interested in sharing what your organization is doing? We invite you to share your celebrations with us here. 

Global Tourism Events

At Destinations International, we aim to highlight the various tourism weeks throughout the year to celebrate the power of the tourism industry. Check out our recent blogs on Canada Tourism Week which took place from April 7-11, and English Tourism Week which took place March 14-23, 2025. Organized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, World Tourism Day is an annual event that takes place on September 27. World Tourism Day is celebrated by countries around the globe, aimed at fostering awareness amongst the international community of the importance of travel and tourism. We invite you to view the map here of the celebrations that took place around the globe in 2024.  

National Travel and Tourism Week offers a valuable opportunity for organizations to spotlight the tourism industry's vital role as a driving force behind America's economy. With over 15 million Americans employed in the tourism industry, it serves as a powerful engine of opportunity, driving career advancement, supporting local businesses, boosting global competitiveness, and fueling related sectors like manufacturing and agriculture. Tourism is a cornerstone of American prosperity. During this weeklong celebration, destinations can champion the tourism industry by participating in a variety of activities, from issuing proclamations and publishing press releases to sharing impactful social media content. These efforts spotlight tourism’s essential role in fueling economic growth and nurturing vibrant communities in every district, town, and state.