National Travel and Tourism Week

Distribute a press release highlighting the value of tourism within your destination: 

• Use the Partner Press Release Template as a guide or create your own.
• Make sure your distribution list includes local media contacts, key industry partners and community stakeholders and leaders 
• Encourage your staff to post your press release to their LinkedIn pages to amplify the reach 
• Encourage your community partners to distribute their own press releases

Get social and get sharing

Your social channels are powerful tools for helping celebrate NTTW! Create a social media plan that offers a NTTW-focused post or content highlight each day during May 7-13 

Tag us in your social media posts:

• Facebook: www.facebook.com/visitcolorado  
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/VisitColorado
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/Colorado
• TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@Visit_Colorado  

Use hashtags:

• #VisitColorado
• #TravelForward
• #nttw23

Sample social media posts:

Happy National Travel and Tourism Week! The tourism industry in [DESTINATION] is essential to the success of our community and the entire state of Colorado. Join us in celebrating the power of tourism and how we #TravelForward to reach success! #VisitColorado #nttw23

Join us in celebrating National Travel and Tourism Week and help highlight our industry’s economic impact, dedication to invocation and commitment to future generations. Tell us what the travel and tourism industry means to you! #TravelForward #VisitColorado #nttw23

The travel industry fuels every industry. From manufacturing and agriculture to defense and healthcare, industries across America rely on travel to drive growth, innovation, education, training and operations forward. America’s success depends on moving #TravelForward. #VisitColorado #nttw23

We challenge you to champion the value of tourism as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of National Travel and Tourism Week kicking off today! Let’s harness the power of our industry and drive #TravelForward. #VisitColorado #nttw23

The travel industry is irreplaceable. To reach our full potential, [DESTINATION] depends on a thriving travel industry. Together, let’s spotlight travel’s essential impact and celebrate the 40th anniversary of National Travel and Tourism Week. #TravelForward #VisitColorado #nttw23

Did you know that 2021 tourism industry brought an economic impact of [COUNTY IMPACT #] to [COUNTY]? Celebrate the power of travel and tourism this week during National Travel & Tourism Week! #TravelForward #VisitColorado #nttw23

Social media images:

Follow this link to access U.S. Travel's images for these social media posts. 

Newsletter activation:

If you have a weekly or monthly newsletter, spread the news about NTTW through those channels and encourage your community to join in the celebration!

Don’t stop at communications and social media planning! There are additional ways to engage including celebrating your local community.

• Partner with local businesses within your community to offer special discounts to raise awareness for NTTW
• Incentivise participation by hosting a NTTW themed event, rally or contest
• Host a appreciation event for your travel workforce
• Share information about NTTW in community groups
• Issue a proclamation alongside a local official

Help the CTO recognize Colorado frontline workers who do an outstanding job of welcoming visitors to our state and providing them with the best experiences possible. We pride ourselves on our Colorado-style hospitality and research has shown that it sets us apart from other destinations and brings back visitors time and time again.

Do you know a frontline worker that goes above and beyond to make all visitors and residents feel welcomed? Are you with an agency that has a similar award? Help us lift these stories by submitting a nomination during National Travel and Tourism Week. Nominations will open Tuesday, May 9th. For more information follow this link.

Winners will receive:

• Recognition at the Colorado Tourism Governor’s Conference Awards Dinner on Thursday, September 28, 2023 in Fort Collins, CO.
  • 1 free registration to the Colorado Tourism Governor’s Conference and a night’s stay at the conference hotel.
• A commemorative award to be presented at the Governor’s Awards for Outstanding Colorado Tourism Efforts on Thursday, September 28, 2023, in Fort Collins, Colorado.
• Recognition on the CTO’s industry website and newsletter.
• Mention in a press release with possible subsequent media coverage.

National numbers 

• In 2022, direct travel spending in the United States totaled $1.2 trillion
• With an economic output of $2.6 trillion in 2022, travel serves as an essential catalyst for a productive U.S. economy and helps to fuel connection and innovation within other industries. 
• Eight million workers are directly employed within the travel industry in the United States
• Travel spending generated nearly $160 billion in federal, state and local taxes in 2022.
• Did you know: Each U.S. household would have paid an additional $1,270 if not for the tax revenue generated by travel in 2022.
• Domestic leisure travel spending in the United States reached $837 billion in 2022. While far above pre-pandemic levels in nominal terms, it has essentially recovered to 2019 levels when adjusted for inflation. 

Colorado numbers 

• Total tourism spend in 2021 finished at $22.5 billion in 2021, bouncing back from $15.4 billion in 2020 but still down from the record-setting year of 2019 where the state saw $24.2 billion in traveler spending.
• Direct travel-generated employment grew from 147,000 to 162,000, a gain of approximately 14,900 jobs, and a 10.2% increase in employment compared to 2020.
• Direct travel-generated earnings grew from $6.6 billion to $7.4 billion, a gain of approximately $800 million compared to 2020. 
• State and local tax revenue grew from a combined total of $1.1 billion in 2020 to $1.5 billion in 2021, an increase of 40.6% compared to 2020.
• Did you know: Each Colorado household would have paid approximately an extra $690, if not for the tax revenue generated by tourism in 2021.
• The top states of origin for overnight trips to Colorado in 2021, apart from Colorado itself, were California, Texas, Florida and New York.
• Domestic overnight trips increased to an estimated 36.3 million, up nearly 18% from 2020, but still not reaching 2019 numbers of 39 million.
• 81% of overnight travelers were repeat visitors in 2021.

Finding county tourism stats

Follow this link to access the 2021 Dean Runyan Report (Economic Impact)
Impact Data broken down by county can be found on page 42-58 with counties listed in alphabetical order

Follow this link to acess the Dean Runyan County Specific Dashboard (Economic Impact)
Highlights Spending, Employment, Earnings and Tax Receipts by County
 
*Please note that the most recent annual reports the CTO has is for 2021. Dean Runyan and Longwoods 2022 reports are expected to be published in Summer 2023.

Follow this link to access CTO Research Page for more information and resources. 

Each year U.S. Travel provides a free toolkit to encourage tourism partners to get involved with NTTW and communicate the economic, social and community-wide benefits of travel. You'll find shareable assets such as logos, social media graphics, messaging guide and more.

Follow this link to start exploring the toolkit