The Flint & Genesee Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is united with the tourism community to celebrate the 34th annual National Travel and Tourism Week – May 7-13 – and what travel means to American jobs, economic growth and personal well-being.
“This week, we are celebrating what travel means to our community, and we call on everyone – from elected officials to local residents – to join us in saluting this important industry,” said CVB Director DeAndra McCain.
Across Flint & Genesee and Michigan, travel employs a prosperous and diverse workforce, from airline and hotel employees, to restaurant, attraction and retail workers, and supports related sectors, such as construction, manufacturing and finance. Some of the numbers:
- In 2016, 5 million trips were made to Michigan as result of the Pure Michigan campaign and visitors spent $1.5 billion here, generating $107 million in taxes.
- Every $1 invested in the 2016 Pure Michigan ad campaign generated $8.33 in tax revenue.
- Flint & Genesee reported $131 million on overnight hotel room rentals in 2016.
- Lodging revenue rose 7.5 percent and increased 1.6 percent over the previous year.
These local figures are an important part of travel’s economic importance nationwide. For example:
- Travel is a $2.3 trillion industry in the U.S., with $990.3 billion in direct travel-related spending in the U.S. by domestic and international visitors in 2016.
- These visitors support 15.3 million American jobs—roughly 8.6 million direct travel jobs, and 6.7 million indirect and induced jobs.
- Travel-related spending generated $157.8 billion in federal, state and local tax revenues in 2016.
The Flint & Genesee CVB will host an Appreciation Breakfast for area hospitality staff and Certified Tourism Ambassadors on May 10, from 8-9:30 a.m., at Blackstone’s, 531 S. Saginaw St. in Flint. Please RSVP with Dawn Stableford at dstableford@flintandgenesee.org.
