The nine-day period of May 5 through 13 this year marks the 29th annual National Tourism Week. This celebration provides Austin with a unified opportunity to salute the nation’s $732 billion travel industry and its impact on local and state economies.

This year’s theme is “Vote Travel: Get America Moving” and illustrates the importance of travel and its impact as a leading industry for economic growth.

We kicked off the weeklong celebration with the 10th annual Austin City-Wide Garage Sale on Saturday, May 5. On Wednesday, we presented our fifth annual “Austin’s Tourism Toplist” award. Our annual award goes to the person, place, thing, or event that most affected tourism in our area in the previous year. This year, the Austin Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department staff is being honored for its partnership with the CVB on bringing visitors.

Are you aware of all the ways your Austin CVB can assist local residents? If you are planning a family reunion, class or military reunion, we can help you. Do you have lots of out-of-town guests coming in for a wedding and need ideas for entertainment? Tours for your guests while you are tending to wedding details? Does your club, church or social group have annual conventions or district meetings? Our CVB can help with planning details for each of these occasions. We have city and state maps, as well as official Austin Visitors Guides and countless brochures covering local attractions within our office at 104 11th Ave. NW, Suite D (next door to the Golden Tress Spa, and across the street from the Spam Museum).

Travel and tourism contributes $1.9 trillion to the overall American economy and supports 14.4 million American jobs. Travelers in Minnesota spend more than $31 million per day. In Mower County alone, $51,712,570 in gross sales is created by travel and tourism. Over 1,340 jobs are attributable to tourism. The travel and hospitality industry deserves its own special week, so help us celebrate during National Tourism Week!

We’re very proud of all Austin has to offer residents and visitors alike. We wish to thank all of our area partners in tourism: namely all the outstanding local attractions, exceptional lodging properties, fine dining, campgrounds, entertainment/recreational and shopping venues that work with us every year to promote Austin. We wish you all a prosperous summer 2012 tourism season.