National Travel & Tourism Week 2022: Visit Baltimore Celebrates “The Future of Travel”
Baltimore, MD — Visit Baltimore, the official destination sales and marketing organization for Baltimore, is pleased to participate in National Travel & Tourism Week (NTTW) May 1-7. This year, the annual celebration that will reinforce the industry’s role in restoring Baltimore’s economy, rebuilding the hospitality industry workforce and improving the welfare of locals and visitors alike.
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. The 39th annual NTTW (May 1-7) arrives as the industry looks ahead to future growth and success following the challenges of the past two years.
“NTTW has special significance this year as the travel industry looks ahead to a bright future,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. “This NTTW is an opportunity to recognize the collective strength of the U.S. travel industry and how we are rebuilding to be more dynamic, innovative, sustainable and inclusive in the months and years to come.”
“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 driving America’s recovery and future economic growth,” added Dow
“Despite the hardships of the last year due to the pandemic, Baltimore is planning for a future that that will strengthen our tourism industry and economy,” said Al Hutchinson, President and CEO of Visit Baltimore. “Through NTTW, we are highlighting how travel benefits our workforce, fosters sustainability and innovations, and positions our city for recovery following the pandemic. We are proud to report that overnight visitor spending in Baltimore increased by 13%, with daytime visitor spending increasing by 20 percent since 2020.”
Visit Baltimore will kick off NTTW on Saturday, Apr. 30 by participating in Mayor Scott’s Spring Cleanup. To engage Baltimore City’s hospitality students, there will be activities taking place on May 4 to showcase opportunities within the State’s hospitality workforce including a Regional Job Fair and a Beverage & Baking challenge hosted by the Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor, where local students will compete in a team cooking competition against other Baltimore City hospitality students.
Additionally, Visit Baltimore is recognizing the future of travel in several ways throughout the week addressing the important topics of mental health and wellness, workforce development, and the industry’s recovery as a result of the pandemic, including a “Mindful Monday” event in partnership with the Sagamore Pendry, a hospitality industry networking cruise in partnership with Watermark Cruises and a Tourism Advocacy Summit. A full list of events is available at baltimore.org/national-travel-tourism-week/.
Please visit ustravel.org/NTTW to learn more about National Travel and 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.
