May 10 declared N.C. Travel and Tourism Day


Calling the travel and tourism industry in North Carolina “vital to our economic stability and growth,” Governor Bev Perdue has proclaimed today (May 10) as N.C. Travel and Tourism Day, in conjunction with National Travel and Tourism Week, a collective effort to promote the power of travel through customized events in communities nationwide. The goal is to create better awareness of the industry’s contribution to the state’s economy and to recognize the cultural and social benefits created by travel and tourism while the legislature is in session.

In North Carolina, domestic visitors spent a record $17 billion in 2010, sustaining nearly 200,000 jobs and supporting more than 40,000 businesses. Tourism generated $947.2 million in state tax revenues and $545.9 million in local tax revenues, saving each North Carolina household $390 in taxes.

The N.C. Travel Industry Association has scheduled Tourism Day activities in Raleigh today. Booths in the Legislative Building will emphasize to lawmakers the importance of the tourism industry to the state, its tax base and its economy. A reception at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences will take place following the Tourism Day a activities.

The state’s nine Welcome Centers have planned individual celebrations throughout the week, with partners from area attractions and accommodations greeting visitors at the Welcome Centers to thank them for traveling to North Carolina. I-40 West celebrated Tourism Day May 9; other events are May 11 – I-77 North; May 12 – I-26 East, I-95 North; May 13 – I-26 West, I-77 South, I-85 North, I-85 South and I-95 South.