National Travel & Tourism Week 2021: Visit Baltimore Celebrates the ‘Power of Travel’

(Baltimore, MD – May 2, 2021) – Visit Baltimore, the official destination sales and marketing organization for Baltimore, is pleased to participate in National Travel & Tourism Week (NTTW) May 2-8. This year, the annual celebration will recognize the contributions of the U.S. travel industry and spotlight the critical role that tourism and hospitality will play in driving economic recovery efforts and building the path forward through the theme Power of Travel. 

Celebrated annually the first full week in May, NTTW was created by Congress in 1983 to elevate the economic power of travel in the U.S.; and the 38th annual NTTW (May 2-8) arrives at an important moment in time. 

“NTTW 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. “The past year was incredibly challenging, but we saw the full power of the travel industry on display in the way we united and supported one another through this crisis.” 

“Before the pandemic, travel generated $2.6 trillion in economic output, supported 17 million American jobs and delivered a $51 billion trade surplus to the U.S.—evidence of the outsized role the industry will play in America’s broader economic recovery,” said Dow. 

Visit Baltimore is recognizing the power of travel in several ways throughout the week, including a special podcast series featuring local members of the tourism and hospitality community. A full list of events is available at baltimore.org/national-travel-tourism-week/. 

“Despite the hardships of the last year, Visit Baltimore is ready and eager to welcome back visitors and help drive Charm City’s recovery efforts,” said Al Hutchinson, President & CEO at Visit Baltimore. “National Travel & Tourism Week is an opportunity to remind visitors and residents of the incredible contributions of the travel industry not just to our local economy and workforce, but to our community’s identity and culture. We strongly believe that travel—and especially hometown tourism—will play an important role in Baltimore City and the State of Maryland’s economic recovery as our region rebounds from the pandemic.” 

Please visit ustravel.org/NTTW to learn more about National Travel & Tourism Week. 

About Visit Baltimore 

Visit Baltimore is the official sales and marketing arm for the City of Baltimore. The 501(c)(6) organization generates economic benefits for stakeholders through the attraction of convention, group and leisure visitors. In 2019, spending by travelers totaled $6 billion in direct spending throughout the city, supporting 86,827 total jobs and generating $750 million in state and city tax revenues. For more information, please visit Baltimore.org.  

###